Milaysia Fulwiley explains how South Carolina elevated its play to secure 10th straight Sweet 16 bid

Milaysia Fulwiley and South Carolina put on a show during the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. The Gamecocks pounded North Carolina 88-41 to improve to 32-0 on the season.

Fulwiley led the way for South Carolina, putting up 20 points off the bench. Afterwards, she spoke with ABC about the dominant performance.

“I think we all just realized that we need to take it to the next [level] every time. I feel like we’re a good team. We’ve got a lot of depth. And we just need to put it all on the court, leave it all on the court, and that’s been our mindset,” Milaysia Fulwiley said.

Fulwiley has been on fire as of late, including earning MVP honors in the SEC Tournament. She is averaging 12 points per game on the season but is averaging 20-plus points over the past three games.

She played only three minutes when South Carolina and UNC played earlier this team due to defensive struggles, but she has gotten better and better as the year has gone along, starting with her defense.

“I feel like offense, everyone can play offense. But defense is what makes me stand out and makes me a dominant player,” Fulwiley said. “I feel like with my defense, if I put my head to it, nobody can score on me. So I just keep defending and things work out on the offensive end every time.”

Milaysia Fulwiley had three steals and three blocks against UNC on Sunday. She credits her coaches for helping her get better and better on both ends of the court.

“Defense, obviously, and probably just everything,” she said of how the coaching staff has helped her. “I feel like I learn new things from them each and every day when I step into practice, so I’m just blessed and grateful that I have all these great coaches that I have.”

Up next, the Gamecocks will take on the winner of Oklahoma and Indiana in the Sweet 16. South Carolina enters the game with plenty of confidence after its performance by North Carolina, led by Milaysia Fulwiley.

The freshman has been a nonstop highlight creator all season.

“Just go get a bucket,” Fulwiley said of her mindset. “I feel like sometimes they play very great defense, so I have to go dig in my bag and do all of those extra things. So I don’t even realize what I did until I get on my phone later. So I’m just trying to win and doing anything I can to help my team win games.”