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South Carolina freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley pulls off incredible move in college debut 

Matt Connollyby:Matt Connolly•11/06/23•

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MiLaysia Fulwiley
MiLaysia Fulwiley (Presse Sports-USA TODAY Sports)

It didn’t take South Carolina freshman guard MiLaysia Fulwiley much time to make an impact for the Gamecocks.

Fulwiley made a show-stopping play in her South Carolina debut, going behind-the-back, before a nifty finish, to give the Gamecocks a 40-31 lead on Notre Dame in the second quarter.

She scored 7 points, with one rebounds and two assists in the first half to help South Carolina to a 48-33 halftime lead over the Irish. You can watch the play below:

The play by MiLaysia Fulwiley received plenty of attention on social media, including from Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.

Johnson took to Twitter to share his approval of the play:

“I’m watching the women’s basketball game between South Carolina and Notre Dame right now and I just saw the best move in all of basketball including the pros like LeBron, Steph, KD, Victor, and Jokic. Everyone must see the coast-to-coast, behind-the-back move by freshman guard MiLaysia Fulwiley from South Carolina. WOW!!” Johnson wrote.

Fulwiley is in her first season with the Gamecocks. She signed to play for Dawn Staley’s program after starring at Keenan High School in Columbia, S.C.

She scored more than 3,000 points during her high school career and is Keenan’s all-time leading scorer. She earned All-American honors from the WBCA, McDonald’s, USA Today and Naismith.

As a senior in high school, Fulwiley averaged 25.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 5.7 steals per game.

Dawn Staley proud of South Carolina play vs. Notre Dame

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley spoke about her team’s play against Notre Dame with ESPN prior to the start of the fourth quarter.

The Gamecocks held a 74-49 lead entering the final period of the game, which is being played in Paris.

“I mean, this is awesome. Any time that you can give student athletes an experience like we’ve given them, right here in Paris where you’ve got to compartmentalize a little bit, because you’re seeing a whole lot of sites. But the focus is the game. And I’m glad our players are able to come on game day and focus and turn the page,” Staley said.

“That’s why we came here — to get a win and open up women’s basketball on this stage.”

Staley also spoke about her star center Kamilla Cardoso, who had 18 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks through the first three quarters.

“Being dominant is a process. We wanted to see Kamilla do this a year or two ago, but it takes time,” Staley said. “She knows she’s a focal point now, so she doesn’t take days off. … She has to thrive in the role.”