TAMPA, FL. – The one-seed South Carolina Gamecocks took down the one-seed Texas Longhorns 74-57 to advance to the national championship. In a tightly contested game from start to finish, the Gamecocks used their strong second half to push them over the edge. As South Carolina continues to defend their crown from last season, they will look to win back-to-back titles and three in the previous four seasons.
The Longhorns started with a 19-18 lead, thanks to a 12-4 run as the game got underway. Madison Booker led the way with six of her 11 points, to go along with two rebounds and two assists. Rori Harmon also did well for Texas, scoring four of her eight points in the opening quarter. South Carolina was led by Joyce Edwards, who scored six points and dished out two assists. MiLaysia Fulwiley scored five points for the Gamecocks, which brought them back in the game after being down early. The game started close as both teams traded leads, and the same remained as the first half came to a close.
As the teams entered the locker room at the break, South Carolina led against the Longhorns, 38-35. After only scoring two points in the first quarter, Te-Hina Pao Pao scored eight of her 14 points in the quarter for South Carolina. Texas kept itself in the game thanks in part to Jordan Lee, who scored 10 points in the first half. She finished with 16. The Gamecocks asserted their presence close to the basket, leading points in the paint 22-16, a big reason for their win. The Longhorns also struggled to shoot from outside, only making one of their four attempts (25%) before the break. The two teams entered the second half looking to advance to the championship, but one team made a statement right out of the gate.
South Carolina dominated the third quarter 20-9 to take a commanding 58-44 lead entering the fourth quarter. Bree Hall scored five of her 11 points in the third, which helped catapult her team to their big lead. Although the Gamecocks had a tremendous third quarter, they only took two three-pointers and made one of them in the period (50%). They went back to attacking the inside in the second half, winning points in the paint 18-6 over Texas. The Longhorns struggled to make their shots in the third, which seemed to be the last straw for them. Booker only scored four points in the period, which led the team. Texas only made four shots on their 14 attempts (28.6%), which seemed to affect them the rest of the game. As the Longhorns looked to get back in the game, the Gamecocks kept their foot on the gas to seal the victory.
In a team win with multiple key contributors, South Carolina got the job done thanks to a strong second half. Edwards finished with 13 points, to go along with 11 rebounds and six assists. Although their forward Chloe Kitts only scored six points against Texas, she will be an x-factor heading into the championship game. As the Gamecocks advance to another championship game, they will face the winner of UConn-UCLA on Sunday, April 6th, 2025.
