Birmingham, Alabama – Dawn Staley won a winning lap on the court, giving fans and South Carolina bands a high five, and even signing the rear edge of their baby pants.
The Gamecocks coach brings her team back to a familiar place. This is the final four of the Women’s NCAA Tournament. This time, South Carolina had to grind a close game to get there.
Chloe Kitts scored 14 points, and the defending champion Gamecox reached the national semi-finals for the fifth consecutive year, beating Duke 54-50 on Sunday.
“It doesn’t look pretty. It’s not. Each game has stretches that don’t look pretty,” Staley said. “It doesn’t look as smooth as our coaches and players imagine. How we practice. But you certainly have to play the game presented in front of you. We do that.
South Carolina did just that.
Currently, Staley’s top seed Gamecocks have won two wins since UConn won four straights between 2013 and 2016, becoming the first team to be repeated as champions. South Carolina will play the winner of the Texas-TCU game on Monday night.
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The last four are Friday nights in Tampa, Florida.
Second-seed Duke was about to reach his first national semi-final since 2006. The team worked overtime in Maryland in the title game. A woman from the Blue Devils was also about to participate in the men’s program at the Final Four.
South Carolina (34–3) was stymed in most games by Duke’s stingy defense. The Gamecocks appeared on average at 80.5 points, but by Sunday it was difficult to score points.
“I thought they forced us to take some bad shots, especially in the first half, that almost finished our season,” Staley said.
The game tied at 46 when Sania Feagin, who finished with 12 points, hit a jumper and advanced Gamecocks with the rest of 4:21. Kitz, who was selected as the best player in the region, added 50-46 after 42 seconds, adding two free throws.
Toby Fournier, who led Duke with 18 points, scored with 3:21 left to bring the Blue Devils (29-8) back within two.
The Blue Devils chased 52-50 with 29.8 seconds left when South Carolina’s Brie Hall was asked to have an offensive foul on inbound play.
Duke knocked down the clock before Acheron Jackson airballed a 3-pointer from the wing with seven seconds left. Hall got a rebound and South Carolina was called a timeout.
“She was playing for us in the fourth quarter of the ball screen, so we took the ball with Acheron’s hands,” Duke coach Kara Lawson said. “She just tried to play and missed it.”
Kitz was fouled with 5.7 seconds left, and calmly sank both free throws to seal the victory.
Duke flipped the ball over in subsequent inbound plays, and the gamecock ran out of watch.
“A lot of the things we asked players to do and they delivered in a big way,” Lawson said. “That wasn’t enough. We held our heads high and competed. They competed as hard as possible. As a coach, that’s all you can ask.”
The Blue Devils took out 26-22 on 16-6 runs before starting the third quarter, taking their first lead since the opening minutes. Fournier’s layup on the left at 2:27 was 38-32. The Gamecocks chased 42-38 and headed for the fourth.
This was the first time the team met in the postseason.
Take home
Duke: Along with the young sophomore core, the Blue Devils try to build on this elite eight run.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks have won two wins from cementing their position in women’s college basketball history.
Important moments
South Carolina followed 42-38, heading into the fourth quarter, then scored the first eight points of the period. After that, the Gamecocks were never chased.
Key Statistics
South Carolina has relied heavily on the bench throughout the season, but Duke’s preparations surpassed Gamecocks’ submarine 24-9.
New experiences
As her team was cutting down the net, Staley came across a fan who handed over his baby to the coach. She signed on the back of a little man’s white pants.
“That was the first. My hands were shaking,” Staley said with a laugh.
Doug Feinberg
