South Carolina women's basketball: Kamilla Cardoso's game-winning three sends the Gamecocks to the final
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Kamilla Cardoos banked in a three-pointer as time expired to give South Carolina a 74-73 win over Tennessee in the SEC tournament semifinals.
Tennessee erased a 23-point first-half deficit to tie the game at 65 with 4:12 to play. The teams traded baskets for the next four minutes and were tied again at 71 with a minute to play.
Rickea Jackson gave the Lady Vols their first lead of the game when she put back her own miss with 24 seconds remaining.
South Carolina used its last two timeouts to set up a final shot, but Raven Johnson missed an open three from in front of the South Carolina bench. South Carolina fouled Jasmine Powell with three seconds left, but she missed both free throws.
Tennessee had fouls to give and used one with 1.1 remaining. Inbounding from near midcourt, Johnson passed to Cardoso, left all alone at the top of the key. She hesitated for a moment before launching the game-winner.
It was a play South Carolina had practiced, and everyone but Cardoso knew what to do.
“I’m not going to lie to you I didn’t even know what the play was,” Cardoso said. “I literally looked at Ashlyn like, what am I supposed to do?”
With 1.1 seconds left, all she could do was shoot the ball.
“I just told Raven to throw it high to Kamilla,” Dawn Staley said. “I yelled at Kamilla, ‘Shoot it!’ I added some more words to that, but I can’t say it right here.”
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“I’m still shocked. I can’t believe that she made it,” Johnson said. “I can’t believe she shot the three. Usually, she’d be like, I’m not shooting no three. I was just excited for her. It’s God’s plan, honestly. I just give it to God.”
Tamari Key didn’t follow Cardoso out to the three-point line, and Kellie Harper said that was by design as Tennessee was looking for some sort of alley-oop.
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“(I) didn’t call a timeout because they did not have one. I wanted Tamari to be in the paint so they couldn’t get a pass to the paint,” Harper said. “Obviously at the end of a game like that, everyone is a shooter because you could luck one in in that moment.”
It was the first three of Cardoso’s career and only the second attempt of her career. Her last attempt came as a freshman at Syracuse. Cardoso finished with 13 points, five rebounds, and three blocks.
South Carolina stormed out of the gates and scored the first 13 points of the game. Tennessee started 0-10 shooting and didn’t get on the board until Rickea Jackson hit a three with 2:51 left in the first quarter.
The Gamecocks continued to expand their lead, going up 35-12 with 3:11 left in the first half. But the Gamecocks went cold and the Lady Vols finished the half on an 11-1 run to have a new life at halftime.
Rickea Jackson scored 12 of her game-high 22 points in the third quarter, but South Carolina managed to answer every Tennessee run and still led by 12 going into the fourth quarter.
Johnson finished with 11 points, a team-high seven rebounds, and four assists.
South Carolina shot 42.9% for the game but only 35.7% in the fourth quarter. Tennessee shot 41.1% for the game but 61.5% in the fourth quarter and outrebounded South Carolina 10-5. South Carolina was plus-seven for the game.
RELATED: South Carolina-Tennessee Box Score
Notes:
South Carolina wore its “Cocky” alternate uniforms. … Jewel Spear added 21 points for Tennessee. … MiLaysia Fulwiley had 13 points in 13 minutes. She also had four rebounds, including the one to set up the game-winner. … Tessa Johnson followed up her 13 points on Friday with eight points and three assists. She also defended Jackson for long stretches. … Te-Hina Paopao never got going. She was 1-8 and 1-4 from three. … Dawn Staley’s outfit: Staley wore a white Gucci sweater. … South Carolina advances to the championship game on Sunday.
