South Carolina cruises past Texas, advances to second-straight title game
๐ South Carolina continues pursuit of back-to-back titles
(1) South Carolina knocked off (1) Texas 74-57, keeping its hopes of back-to-back titles alive. The Gamecocks carried a 38-35 lead into the half, and Dawn Staley's squad dominated the final 20 minutes to cruise to a 17-point win.
South Carolina has still not lost a game when leading at half dating back to 2022 โ a truly remarkable streak that illustrates the dominance of the Gamecocks in the past few years.
The Gamecocks were powered by freshman forward Joyce Edwards who dropped 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. But the difference maker was the depth Dawn Staley's squad showed off tonight, tallying 35 bench points with seven players scoring six or more points.
Star forward for Texas, Madison Booker, notched six points in the first five minutes of play, but she was sidelined for most of the first half after three early fouls, and she wasn't able to find her rhythm in the second half.
Staley's squad outscored the Longhorns 36-22 in the second, including a 20-9 third quarter. The double-digit lead proved too much for Texas as it would not pull back within 10 for the final 15 minutes of play.
South Carolina awaits the winner of (1) UCLA vs. (2) UConn as the Gamecocks look to become the fourth team to capture back-to-back national championships in DI women's basketball.
โ๏ธ South Carolina cruising | 4Q โ 3:07
T3SSA CONNECTS ๐
โ South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB)
๐บ ESPN |
๐จ Gamecocks in control to close out third quarter
The reigning champs lead 58-44 entering the fourth quarter after holding the Longhorns to just nine points in the third quarter. South Carolina went on an 11-3 run the close out the quarter.
Gamecocks forward Joyce Edwards leads her team with 12 points and 10 rebounds while Te-Hina Paopao has 11 with two 3-pointers. Texas point guard Rori Harmon is 3-11 from the field as the Longhorns shot 4-14 from the field in the third.
END 3Q | USC 58, TEXAS 44
โ South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB)
10 MORE MINUTES FAMS - LET'S GOOOOOO ๐ฃ๏ธ
๐ South Carolina pulling away | 3Q โ 3:55
Into a media timeout, the Gamecocks hold a 49-41 lead. South Carolina's Chloe Kitts and Bree Hall have combined for nine points in the third. Longhorn's Madison Booker is keeping Texas in it with four points this quarter and 11 on the night.
Joyce Edwards is doing everything for Dawn Staley's squad holding 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Joyce floats it in and she's up to ๐ pts ๐
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USC - 49 | 41 - TEXAS
๐ South Carolina comes out hot | 3Q โ 8:25
The Gamecocks come out of the half with a 3-pointer from Bree Hall and a pull-up jumper from Chloe Kitts. Texas' Madison Booker ended the 5-0 run with her own mid-range jumper, scoring her first bucket since the five minute mark in the first quarter.
South Carolina leads 43-37 early in the third.
THREEZY FOR BREEZY to open the 3Q!! ๐ค
โ South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB)
๐ค Tight one in Tampa at halftime
The Gamecocks lead 38-35 at the half. South Carolina closed the half on a 9-3 run powered by four points from Bree Hall and a huge three from Te-Hina Paopao. Each team is shooting 50% from the field but each also holds 10 turnovers on the night.
Star Longhorn's forward Madison Booker enters the locker room with three fouls โ the first time in her career entering halftime with three. She only played nine minutes in the first half after tallying six points early in the first quarter.
Here's how the teams lineup at the break:
โ๏ธ Back and forth battle | 2Q โ 4:33
The SEC foes are trading punches in the first five of the second quarter. The teams have traded the lead four times into the media timeout. Freshman Jordan Lee has turned it on for the Longhorns, notching seven points in the second quarter already, including a 3-pointer.
Texas' Jordan Lee knocks down a 3-pointer in the second quarter against South Carolina.
โก๏ธ South Carolina surges to close the first quarter
The Gamecocks cut into the lead behind five points from MiLaysia Fulwiley and four from Joyce Edwards in the final three minutes of the first quarter. Madison Booker was subbed out midway through the first after catching her second foul. She leads the Longhorns with six points.
Texas carries a 19-18 lead into the second quarter after leading by as much as eight points.
โ Huge South Carolina block
Raven Johnson denies Rori Harmon in the paint as the Gamecocks start to close the lead near the end of the first quarter.
DENIED โ
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๐บ ESPN |
๐ฅ Hot start for Texas | 1Q โ 4:52
Madison Booker's six points carry the Longhorns to a 12-4 lead midway through the first quarter. South Carolina is just 2-8 from the field to start the game while Texas has knocked down five of its last seven attempts.
feeling it early ๐ฎโ๐จ๐ค |
โ Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB)
๐ Starting lineups ahead of tipoff
Just 10 minutes until (1) South Carolina and (1) Texas take the stage in Tampa for the fourth rendition of Gamecocks vs. Longhorns this season. Tip is set for 7:10 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Here are the starting lineups for the first women's Final Four matchup:
๐คฉ Under two hours to tipoff
(1) South Carolina and (1) Texas are set to face off at 7:10 p.m. ET in Tampa. Follow along here for live updates and highlights throughout the SEC clash.
Fighting to stay in Tampa ๐ค x
โ บ์ะำสำฦต March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB)
๐ฟ Game preview: (1) South Carolina vs. (1) Texas
What does the Final Four mean to the Gamecocks and Longhorns?
For South Carolina, this was expected. Dawn Staley's squad has established itself as a powerhouse in women's basketball, searching for its third title in four years. But for Texas, this is only its second Final Four and first since 1986. The Longhorns made it to three Elite Eights in the previous four seasons, but Vic Schaefer's team finally made it over the hump this year.
South Carolina
The Gamecocks (34-3) are looking to become the fourth team to win back-to-back titles, joining Tennessee, Southern California, and fellow Final Four participant UConn. Dawn Staley has led South Carolina to three national championships since moving to Columbia, hoisting the trophy in 2017, 2022 and 2024.
South Carolina boasts a solid core led by Joyce Edwards, MiLaysia Fulwiley and Chloe Kitts who are all averaging double-digit points on the season.
Texas
This may be Texas' first Final Four in almost four decades, but the Longhorns are familiar with tournament play. They reached their fourth Elite Eight in five years this season before taking down the Hailey Van Lith-led Horned Frogs to earn a trip to Tampa.
However, Texas has a serious obstacle to overcome in the Gamecocks. The two SEC foes split the regular season series, but South Carolina cruised past the Longhorns in the SEC championship game, 64-45. Staley's team has beaten Texas by a combined 36 points in its two wins, while the Longhorns only bested South Carolina by four points in their lone win at home.
But the Longhorns do boast a potent offense powered by forward Madison Booker who is averaging 16.5 points while shooting almost 50% from the field. Booker dropped 20 on the Gamecocks when Texas took them down, and Texas will likely need another big game from the sophomore to dethrone the defending champs.
The matchup
The conference foes lineup fairly even on paper each averaging roughly the same points per game and points allowed. The Gamecocks hold the edge in 3-point percentage (33.7%) as Texas sits right below 30%. But these teams are more than familiar with each other's style, and this game could come down to the clipboard as Staley and Vic Schaefer gameplan for their fourth matchup this season.
๐ How South Carolina got to the women's Final Four
South Carolina is looking to go back-to-back for the first time since UConn from 2015-2016. It is no surprise the Gamecocks are back in the Final Four as Dawn Staley's squad is just a year removed from a perfect 38-0 championship season. South Carolina was the second-most picked team to win the national championship (20.8%) in this year's . Here's how they got to Tampa:
- First Round: (1) South Carolina 108, (16) Tennessee Tech 48
- Second Round: (1) South Carolina 64, (9) Indiana 53
- Sweet 16: (1) South Carolina 71, (4) Maryland 67
- Elite Eight: (1) South Carolina 54, (2) Duke 50
๐ค How Texas got to the women's Final Four
Texas is making its fourth Final Four appearance and first since 2003. The Longhorns picked up some impressive wins along the way, knocking off (5) Tennessee in the Sweet 16 before taking down a red-hot (2) TCU team in the Elite Eight. Texas was the fifth-most picked team to win the championship (6.05%) in this year's . Here's how the Longhorns got to Tampa:
- First Round: (1) Texas 105, (16) William & Mary 61
- Second Round: (1) Texas 65, (8) Illinois 48
- Sweet 16: (1) Texas 67, (5) Tennessee 59
- Elite Eight: (1) Texas 58, (2) TCU 47