South Carolina women's basketball: Huge third quarter puts the Gamecocks in the national championship game

Joyce Edwards broke out of her slump, and South Carolina dominated the third quarter to beat Texas 74-57 and advance ot the national championship.

Going into the Final Four, South Carolina was looking for more production from Joyce Edwards, Te-Hina Paopao, and Tessa Johnson. They got it on Friday, especially in the decisive third quarter. 

“We let their run accumulate,” Rori Harmon said. “That’s kind of what we talked about not doing. So I think it was just a bad quarter, like it was the last game. It was just one quarter that we couldn’t put together.”

Edwards scored a layup to start an 11-0 South Carolina run. Just before the media timeout, Paopao drew a foul late in the shot clock. She only made one free throw, but got a steal on the rebound and made a layup. 

Edwards grabbed an airball and sliced through the defense for a layup. Then, Johnson hit back-to-back midrange jumpers to cap the run and put South Carolina up 58-41.

“I thought she took her time,” Dawn Staley said. “She didn’t seem pressed. She uses her athleticism, her strength, and her ability to direct line drive. Her game was very lean today, and we love to see that.”

Edwards flirted with a triple-double Friday. She finished with 13 points, a game-high 11 rebounds, and a game-high six assists. She was the best player on the floor for most of the game.

“I feel I was more definitive, more open-minded,” Edwards said. “Like I said, giving what the game gave me, not overthinking, not second-guessing, just going.”

South Carolina started slowly, and Texas sprinted out to a 12-4 lead by the first media timeout. But Madison Booker, who already had six points and a steal, picked up two fouls in a 21-second span and had to sit. 

While Booker was on the bench, South Carolina’s reserves chipped away at the lead. MiLaysia Fulwiley hit a three to cut the lead to one point, and then Joyce Edwards answered Texas with consecutive layups to keep it a one-point game going into the second quarter.

Paopao, who scored a team-high 14 points, began the second quarter with a three-pointer that gave South Carolina its first lead. Freshman Jordan Lee, who scored 16 points, almost single-handedly kept Texas in the game. She came in averaging 5.6 points but scored the Longhorns’ first seven points of the second quarter. Lee had 10 points in the first half.

Vic Schaefer put Booker back in the game with 5:01 left in the first half. She undercut Tessa Johnson on a long outlet pass, picking up her third foul with 2:29 left in the half. 

South Carolina went on a 7-0 run after Booker picked up her third foul, the longest run of the first half by either team. The Gamecocks led 38-35 going into the halftime break.

The early Texas lead was reminiscent of the last time Staley and Schaefer met in the Final Four. In the 2017 national championship game, Schaefer’s took an early 7-1 lead before the Gamecocks turned things around.

“Not our best night tonight,” Schaefer said. “But it wasn’t because they weren’t out there battling and trying. We lost to a better team tonight. And you have to give your opponent credit.”

Booker was hot early but never seemed to find her rhythm after picking up her third foul. She made her first three shot attempts to start the game before sitting with two fouls. Booker missed her only shot attempt in the second quarter and then was 2-7 in the second half. She finished with just 11 points and a rebound, with no assists and two turnovers.

“Every time she got a foul, we would throw up a number, this is how many fouls she’s got,” Paopao said. “When you have a great player like that you’ve just got to keep going at her because you know you’ve got to get them in foul trouble, which changes the whole aspect of the game. We took advantage of that.”

In her four games against South Carolina, Booker averaged 12.0 points on 29.2% shooting. Bree Hall and Tessa Johnson, as they did all season, frustrated Booker all game. Hall also had 11 points, tying her postseason high for this year.

“I mean, she’s called Big Shot Breezy for a reason,” Paopao said. “She came through big for us. She holds our defense down. I’m just super proud of her and her journey here. She’s just done a great job. To see her out there having fun like that, it just gets everyone going and everyone’s confidence going as well. For her to do that on such a big stage, I’m super proud of her. And she’s got to keep it going for one more game.”

South Carolina shot 50.9% for the game and held Texas to 39.3%

Before the game, almost every Gamecock agreed that the key to winning was winning the rebounding battle. They outrebounded the Lomnghorns 36 to 29 and limited them to nine second-chance points on nine offensive rebounds. 

South Carolina also limited the two Texas bigs, Taylor Jones and Kyla Oldacre, to four points each.

“We didn’t want them to make paint points,” Staley said. “We made it difficult for them. We just tried to disrupt the flow of their shot, especially when they caught it deep.”

Notes:
South Carolina wore its “Cocky” alternates. The Under Armour logo on the uniforms was changed from garnet to gold for the Final Four. … Among the former Gamecocks in attendance were A’ja Wilson, newly-engaged Allisha Gray, Aliyah Boston, Ashley Bruner, Kamilla Cardoso, Kaela Davis, Asia Dozier, Olivia Gaines, Ieasia Walker, Markeshia Grant, Ty Harris, Olivia Thompson, Laeticia Amihere, CJ Pace, Tina Roy, and Valerie Nainima. … Staley was able to empty the bench for the final 1:14, giving Adhel Tac and Maddy McDaniel their first Final Four playing time. Tac scored one basket. … Maryam Dauda played 16 minutes, tying her season-high. She had four points and three rebounds. … South Carolina was only plus-one in turnover margin, but was plus-six in points off turnovers. … Both teams were 9-12 from the line. … South Carolina was 7-11 from three. Texas was 4-10. … Dawn Staley’s outfit: Staley wore a garnet Gucci track suit.

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