The undefeated Gameco*cks are headed to the national title game and will face Iowa.
Chantel Jennings, Sabreena Merchant, Ben Pickman, Cameron Teague Robinson and more
(Photo: Jason Miller / Getty Images)
The Athletic Staff
South Carolina remains unbeaten, advances to title game
No. 1 South Carolina is one game away from perfection.
The Gameco*cks (37-0) turned a close game into a blowout in the second half, pulling away from No. 3 NC State (31-7) for a 78-59 win in the first Final Four semifinal Friday in Cleveland. South Carolina will face the winner of No. 1 Iowa and No. 3 Connecticut in the national championship Sunday.
South Carolina led NC State by just one point at halftime, but outscored it 29-6 in the third quarter. Kamilla Cardoso led the Gameco*cks with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Ashlyn Watkins contributed 20 rebounds off the bench.
Iowa and UConn will meet in the second semifinal, with tipoff expected around 9:30 p.m. ET.
Follow here for live reaction from The Athletic's staff inside the arena in Cleveland.
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For ticket information on the Final Four, click here.
Who has the edge Sunday?
(Photo: Ken Blaze / USA Today)
CLEVELAND — This was the way it always had to end: Iowa versus South Carolina. Caitlin Clark’s final chance at a national title against the undefeated Gameco*cks, a rematch of the epic 2023 Final Four clash that catapulted Clark into superstardom.
South Carolina once again enters as the No. 1 overall seed, unbeaten this season and attempting to complete the 10th undefeated campaign in NCAA women’s history. Just like in 2022-23, the Gameco*cks boast the best defensive rating in the country, per Her Hoop Stats, and the Hawkeyes have the best offense. The country’s deepest team faces the national player of the year for all the marbles.
Looking ahead to Sunday’s title game, it’s instructive to think back to last year’s contest. South Carolina took away Clark’s playmaking. The Gameco*cks defenders stayed glued to Iowa’s shooters to avoid giving up a high volume of 3-pointers. That left the middle of the floor open, however, for Clark drives and pick-and-roll with Monika Czinano, and that two-player game could not be stopped. Without a one-on-one defender who could contain Clark, South Carolina ultimately needed to send help, but had already schemed not to.
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What's South Carolina’s championship X-factor?
(Photo: Ken Blaze / USA Today)
CLEVELAND — When MiLaysia Fulwiley first arrived on South Carolina’s campus last offseason, the last time she hadn’t started a basketball game was when she was in the seventh grade (playing for the high school varsity team). She didn’t remember what it was like to not have her name called over the PA system in the starting lineup. Couldn’t really recall a time when she had watched the tip from anywhere other than the floor.
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Iowa-South Carolina is the finale this season deserves
(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)
CLEVELAND — Just when you thought this women’s basketball season couldn’t give any more, just when you thought it had drained itself of record on-court performances, all-time viewership numbers and compelling grudge matches, it is giving us an opportunity to witness all three in one game, pitting Iowa against South Carolina in the national championship showdown most fans and every ABC executive wanted.
It had to end this way, right? Great player versus great team. The quest for the perfect ending versus the pursuit of the perfect season. An opportunity for South Carolina to avenge its only loss of the last two seasons. A way to cap a memorable season with a potentially unforgettable finale.
If the Iowa-LSU regional final drew an average of 12.3 million viewers on a Monday night on cable, it boggles the mind to think what the Iowa-South Carolina rematch of last year’s national semifinal could do Sunday on network television. You have Caitlin Clark, Iowa’s transcendent star and expected No. 1 pick of the upcoming WNBA Draft, seeking to go out on top after losing in last season’s title game. And you have South Carolina, with virtually an all-new lineup, seeking to finish what it could not a year ago.
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Te-Hina Paopao on the dominant third quarter:
"Coach told us that was a six-point quarter for them. We were just like shocked because it didn't feel like that. It felt like we were just out there being locked in on offense and defense. And we just played the game we know how to play. At some points we don't know what's going on. We just know we're having fun. And we just love being out there with each other."
The Athletic Staff
A fun moment on ESPN postgame, as Aliyah Boston — whose South Carolina career ended in the Final Four last season — interviews her former coach, Dawn Staley, after the Gameco*cks advanced past NC State.
“You play to your strengths, Kamilla (Cardoso) is a strength of ours,” Dawn Staley said. “She played with a desire to win. She asked for the ball a couple times as well.”
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The Athletic Staff
For Iowa-UConn coverage
Move over here for our live updates from Iowa-Connecticut.
Or, stay here for more reaction from South Carolina's 37th consecutive victory — one that puts it in the national championship game.
For the women's basketball sports viewership nerds:
You now have the team on that side of the draw for the highest viewership.
South Carolina routs NC State
South Carolina is going back to the national championship.
The top-ranked and undefeated Gameco*cks defeated third-seeded NC State 78-59 in the first Final Four game Friday night. The win sends South Carolina back to the national championship for the second time in three years, after winning it all in 2022.
The Gameco*cks were led by star post player Kamilla Cardoso, who had 22 points and 11 rebounds despite missing the last 1:39 of the first half with an apparent leg injury.
South Carolina led by five before Cardoso went down, but that lead was cut to just one point at halftime. Cardoso returned after halftime and South Carolina took control of the game right away, jumping out to a 10-1 run in the third quarter. South Carolina outscored NC State 29-6 in the third quarter to break the game open.
South Carolina's Ashlyn Watkins is just the fifth player to record 20 rebounds in a women's Final Four game, joining Mississippi State's Teaira McCowan (25, 2018), North Carolina's Charlotte Smith (23, 1994), Old Dominion's Tracy Claxton (20, 1985) and LSU's Sylvia Fowles (20, 2008).
It looks like ESPN is going to let Aliyah Boston do the postgame interview with Dawn Staley. Holly Rowe handed her the mic.
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Ashlyn Watkins: 19 rebounds. NC State: 22.
Kamilla Cardoso shouldn't touch the floor the rest of this game... Up 23 with 8 minutes to play, there's no reason to risk aggravating whatever injury sent her off the floor in the first half. This is a good chance to get Sania Feagin some extra minutes.
Heading into tonight, South Carolina's third-quarter margin over teams was an average of 7.1 points. The Gameco*cks more than tripled that just now.
Gameco*cks lead 61-37 after 3
South Carolina outscored NC State 29-6 in that third quarter. Tells you everything you need to know.
NC State could have had a more disastrous quarter. The Wolfpack are 1-of-10 from the field and have missed all four 3-point attempts. They also have four turnovers.
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(Photo: Ken Blaze / USA Today)
Wes Moore said in his pregame news conferences that he thought this was Dawn Staley's best South Carolina team. Considering Staley has two national titles, it just goes to show you just how dominant this group has been all year. He also had a funny line this week about interviewing for the South Carolina job when Staley got it. "Can you believe they made that decision and went that direction?" he joked. "But it's worked out pretty good." South Carolina is up 18 late in the third.
Trying to decide what the point of no return will be for the Wolfpack. Was it when Aziaha James drove into a wall at the rim for the third straight possession? Or when MiLaysia Fulwiley broke out a coast-to-coast transition bucket. Whenever the moment, I do believe NC State is cooked. The loosest team in the Tournament is getting a bit snippety with one another as this lead balloons.
The Athletic College Basketball Staff
South Carolina leads 55-36 — its largest of the night — as NC State has gone more than four minutes without scoring and has more turnovers (11) than assists (3). The Gameco*cks are racing away with an 11-0 run and a lopsided 23-5 third quarter as NC State has missed its last seven shots.
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