South Carolina dominates second half vs. NC State, advances to national championship

At halftime, NC State trailed South Carolina by one point. In the ensuing 20 minutes, the Gamecocks outscored the Wolfpack by 18 points to secure a 78-59 victory. With the win, South Carolina will advance to the national championship for the second time in the past four seasons.

South Carolina standout center Kamilla Cardoso led the way, exploding for a team-high 22 points while shooting an efficient 10-12 from the field. Cardoso wasn’t the only player who excelled for the Gamecocks.

South Carolina forward Ashlyn Watkins notched a game-high 20 rebounds in the win. While NC State couldn’t escape with the upset, Aziaha James was still impressive, tallying a team-high 20 points. Despite the lopsided final score, the game’s outcome was far from clear early.

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In the first quarter, fans received entertainment worth the price of admission. The two teams traded shots back and forth like two heavyweight prize fighters. At the end of the first quarter, neither team was able to edge out an advantage, tied at 16 points.

The second quarter wasn’t much different. SC narrowly led the Wolfpack, but suffered a scare when Cardoso suffered an apparent leg injury with just shy of two minutes left in the half.

NC State took advantage of South Carolina’s shock, chopping away at the lead and heading in to the half only down by one point. After the game, Watkins revealed South Carolina’s message to one another during halftime.

“North Carolina State is a great team, but they’re no better than us,” Watkins told ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “They can’t stay with us and we just came out with fire.”

With Cardoso back on the court, the Gamecocks entered the second half rejuvenated, and made NC State feel their newfound energy. South Carolina outscored the Wolfpack by 23 points in the third to push its lead to 61-37.

NC State refused to lie down and accept defeat. The team outscored the Gamecocks by five points in the fourth frame, but the damage was already done. When the dust settled, South Carolina walked away with a 78-59 victory. Watkins is hungry for more.

“We want it. We want this,” Watkins said. “We want to go out there and go get it.”

Efficiency was the difference in the highly-anticipated matchup. South Carolina shot 50% from the field and 42% from beyond the arc in the triumph. In contrast, NC State only connected on 32% of its attempts from the floor and an even worse 26% from downtown.

With the win, SC is now only one game away from becoming the first undefeated Division I women’s basketball champion since 2016. On Sunday, the Gamecocks will square off against the winner between Iowa and UConn in the national championship.