Three-point shooting propels South Carolina women's basketball in early-round NCAA Tournament victory

Just two degrees of separation exist between Gamecock Athletics and NBA superstar Stephen Curry. Their mutual link is MiLaysia Fulwiley, a South Carolina women’s basketball player who signed a multi-year NIL deal with Curry Brand to serve as an ambassador.

That link further solidified Thursday night ahead of the Golden State Warriors’ matchup against the Toronto Raptors. Curry could be seen wearing a shirt displaying Fulwiley’s face as he walked into the Chase Center.

“Just having connections like that, it makes me know that I’m very blessed,” Fulwiley said. “When I saw him wear the shirt, I was like, ‘Wow, this is a dream come true.’ Like, I could only dream for something like that to happen.”

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It wasn’t just Fulwiley who emulated Curry’s playing style in South Carolina’s NCAA Tournament win over Tennessee Tech on Friday. Curry has spearheaded the sport’s emphasis on three-point shooting in recent years. It is difficult to question Curry’s status as one of the greatest shooters in basketball history, as he recently became the first NBA player to ever make more than 4,000 three-point field goal attempts.

The Gamecocks’ sharp-shooting abilities were on full display in their 108-48 win over the Golden Eagles. South Carolina awoke a previously dormant part of its offense, going 12-19 from behind the arc in the contest.

That figure broke the team’s season high for made three-pointers in a single game. Its 63.2% three-point percentage also nearly tied a mark it set earlier this season against UCLA. Despite a smaller volume of made and attempted buckets (8-12), the Gamecocks set a still-standing mark for the 2024-25 campaign by shooting 66.7% from deep.

“I think that is going to be the thing that really allows us to create some separation, when it comes to points,” Dawn Staley said. “When we’re hitting like that, we’re hard guarded, defending the way we way we defend. So, hopefully, we can carry that into Sunday and beyond.”

South Carolina started the game on a scorching-hot stretch beyond the three-point line. The team’s first points of the afternoon came on a three-pointer by Te-Hina Paopao, who went 3-6 beyond the arc.

After makes from Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson, the Gamecocks eventually were a perfect 5-5 on three-point shots. The team was feeling good enough from long range that Chloe Kitts, who headed into the game with a 29.4% field goal percentage, attempted a shot from behind the three-point line.

Although that shot served as South Carolina’s first three-point miss of the day, the team went 7-13 the rest of the way. Other players, like Raven Johnson and Bree Hall, got into the action with multiple made three-pointers.

“When our threes aren’t going down, it’s a bit of a tougher game for us,” Paopao said. “Seeing the ball go in today for all the guards, I’m very confident that it’s going to take us through the tournament.”

For both Staley and Paopao, the Gamecocks’ three-point shooting success was a long time coming.

South Carolina experienced some shooting woes beyond the arc during the SEC Tournament. Over its three games in Greenville, the Gamecocks posted a 25.6% shooting percentage (10-39) from long range. A 2-15 shooting display against Oklahoma served as their worst single-game shooting performance of the season.

Paopao said, though, that she and the team remained confident that those shots would eventually fall.

“It was bound to happen. Coach said, ‘Law of averages,'” Paopao said. “We haven’t been shooting the ball particularly well, especially in the SEC Tournament. So, I’m very happy to see the ball go through the net for all our guards and everyone else.”

Fulwiley added that South Carolina needed a performance like that to restore the team’s confidence in hoisting long-distance shots. Watching Curry hit three after three is ultimately what gives her motivation to do the same, Fulwiley said.

“I feel like, Curry, he has a big, big presence on shooting threes. He has a big impact on the way that people shoot threes,” Fulwiley said. “Watching a player like Steph shoot so good, it makes you feel like you can do it, too. I think we all had that confidence today.”

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