Sweet Victory: No. 1 South Carolina outlasts Indiana to reach NCAA Tournament Elite 8
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No. 1 South Carolina defeated No. 4 Indiana 79-75 in the second Sweet 16 matchup of the Albany Regional 1 at MVP Arena Friday. The Gamecocks advanced to their seventh Elite Eight under coach Dawn Staley and eighth all-time.
USC started guards Te-Hina Paopao, Raven Johnson and Bree Hall along with forward Ashlyn Watkins and center Kamilla Cardoso.
Two Gamecocks scored in double digits: Cardoso (22) and Johnson (14).
Next up for South Carolina: No. 3 Oregon State in the Elite 8 Sunday.
South Carolina narrowly wins the rebound battle
USC entered Friday’s contest outrebounding opponents by 12.5 per game.
IU kept it close, though, grabbing 30 boards to South Carolina’s 32. While those figures didn’t make a huge difference in terms of second-chance points (IU had six to USC’s eight), Indiana’s 20 defensive rebounds denied South Carolina 20 shot attempts.
Gamecocks capitalize on Hoosiers turnovers
The Gamecocks turned defense into offense Friday night.
Indiana turned the ball over nine times in the first half (three of which came from USC steals), which South Carolina converted to 15 points. By the end of the game, IU had 14 turnovers, including four USC steals. The Gamecocks wound up with 19 points off turnovers.
Indiana edges South Carolina in third and fourth quarters
The Hoosiers outscored the Gamecocks 23-16 in the third quarter, and IU opened the fourth scoring five before USC scored any at all.
Indiana outrebounded South Carolina 10-7 in the third period and outperformed USC in the paint 10-12.
After coach Dawn Staley called a timeout with 6:36 remaining the fourth, the Gamecocks and Hoosiers went back and forth trading baskets. A two for each, then a stop and a free throw for South Carolina. Then an Indiana stop and a big 3-pointer.
Raven Johnson followed with a two, then Indiana hit its 13th 3 of the night.
With just under two minutes remaining, USC led by four. Paopao missed a big 3, then Mackenzie Holmes got by Cardoso and tossed in a layup to put the Hoosiers within two. Less than a minute remained, and Staley called another timeout.
Johnson hit a huge 3 after the timeout, and clapped as she made her way to the other end of the court. Holmes sank another layup. Then Indiana fouled. And fouled again. And fouled one more time.
Johnson went to the free throw line and missed the first one. The second fell. And South Carolina led by four with 21.5 seconds remaining.
From there, both teams traded free throws, splitting practically each set, which was enough for USC to pull through victorious.
Kamilla Cardoso leads the way offensively
While the Gamecocks outside shooting has garnered a lot of attention this season, their ability to control the paint contributes greatly to their success.
All of Cardoso’s 13 first-half points came in that range, as she battled Indiana’s Mackenzie Holmes inside. USC scored a total of 24 points in the paint during the first half to IU’s 10.
Cardoso ended the night with 22 points, leading the Gamecocks in scoring. South Carolina outscored Indiana in the paint 42-26 by the time the final buzzer sounded.
South Carolina’s depth takes a toll
Despite working with 10 available players, South Carolina’s depth has set it apart all season.
The Gamecocks’ bench outscored Indian’s reserves 18-2 in the first half. Fulwiley (7) and Kitts (5) accounted for two-thirds of that production. USC’s bench ended up outscoring Indiana’s 23-2 by the end of the game.
South Carolina WBB’s next game
Who: No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 3 Oregon State
When: Sunday, 1 p.m.
Where: MVP Arena in Albany, New York
