Aliyah Boston, Kamilla Cardoso react to historic performance to advance to Elite Eight

Another round, another double-digit NCAA Tournament win for the South Carolina women’s basketball team. The Gamecocks used stifling defense against UCLA on Saturday afternoon to advance to their third straight Elite Eight with a 59-43 victory.

Reigning National Player of the Year Aliyah Boston dominated the glass with 14 rebounds in addition to eight points and two blocks. It marked the 41st consecutive victory for South Carolina, which has yet to lose this season after claiming last year’s national championship. With the victory, the Gamecocks brought their win total to 35 this season, the school record for most wins in a season that was set in 2021-22.

“It’s just really, really special,” Boston said postgame. “I thank God every day for being able to put us in this position. The crowd was great and it feels nice to make history.”

It wasn’t the best day offensively for South Carolina, as the 59 points were the second-fewest it has scored in any game this season. But the Gamecocks more than made up for it with their defense. They held the Bruins to just 15-of-51 (29.4%) shooting and forced 15 turnovers.

The 43 points scored by UCLA was the second-fewest in an NCAA Tournament game in school history according to ESPN. Kamilla Cardoso tied with Brea Beal and Bree Hall for a team-high 10 points while also coming away with a pair of blocks.

“It means a lot because I feel like we work very hard on defense,” Cardoso said. “Getting off the screens and everything. I just think we do a great job each and every day.”

South Carolina never trailed in the contest, jumping out to a 25-15 lead by halftime. The Gamecocks then matched their first-half scoring total in the third quarter alone to increase their lead to 50-30 heading into the fourth and put the game out of reach for good. They outrebounded the Bruins 42-34 thanks to the big day from Boston.

“Just being locked in,” Boston said. “I think everybody stepped up. Both (Brea Beal and Bree Hall) today played a spectacular game. Hitting big shots. Played great on Charisma (Osborne) all night. Just making it hard. Everybody that stepped on the floor I think just gave it their all.”

South Carolina will look to keep rolling through the tournament against No. 2 seed Maryland on Monday with a trip to the Final Four on the line. The school record for wins and a defense of last year’s national title is also on the line.

“They like to get out in transition and like to be physical, so we just have to be ready for that,” Boston said.