South Carolina women's basketball: Maryam Dauda was an unexpected hero against Texas
Heroes are made in the NCAA tournament. What makes the tournament special isn’t when the stars play well; it’s when unexpected players give clutch performances.
Think of Olivia Gaines in 2017. Saniya Rivers against Louisville in 2022. Or Tessa Johnson last season. Maybe someday we’ll add Maryam Dauda in 2025 to that list.
Dauda defines “just happy to be here.” After three unhappy seasons at Arkansas (including a redshirt season) with a lot of losses, Dauda is thrilled to be part of a winning program, even if it means less playing time.
It shows constantly. On Wednesday, the Gamecocks visited the Florida Aquarium in Tampa. Dauda excitedly talked about how much fun she had had and how excited she was to be able to pet one of the rays.
“We don’t really have aquariums in Arkansas,” she explained.
That is one of my favorite quotes I’ve ever gotten at a Final Four.
“To know her is to love her,” Dauda’s former Arkansas teammate Saylor Poffenbarger said before they faced off in the Sweet 16. That’s how her current teammates feel, too.
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“We love Maryam,” Joyce Edwards said on Friday.
In the bowels of Amelie Arena on Friday afternoon, I happened to cross paths with the Gamecocks when they arrived. It’s professional courtesy not to bother the team in that situation. Not Dauda. She saw me, broke into a smile, and waved excitedly.
Happy to be here.
Dauda has played just over six minutes a game this season, mostly in garbage time. But maybe that attitude is why, when Chloe Kitts and Sania Feagin picked up some early fouls, Dauda was ready to step in midway through the first quarter.
“I felt like I had to go in and give my team a spark,” Dauda said. “I had to go in and just give them a little break.”
Dauda was aggressive from the start, and it was her offensive rebound and free throw that started South Carolina’s 10-3 run that erased the early Texas lead.
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She played five minutes in the first quarter, nearly reaching her season average. Staley went to Dauda again in the second half, and Dauda ended up tying her season-high with 16 minutes.
“I feel like I have to stay ready so whenever I do go in I have to help my team,” she said. “Just trusting myself, trusting my teammates, and trusting my coaches that they will put me in the right position at the right time to help win.”
She was productive, too, finishing with four points and three rebounds. That may not seem like a lot, but it equalled the stats put up by Kyra Oldacre, who had been a thorn in South Carolina’s side earlier in the season.
Canceling out Oldacre was a big win for South Carolina. She had 16 rebounds in the first game and was a big reason South Carolina struggled to contain Texas on the glass. Not on Friday – the Gamecocks outrebounded the Longhorns by seven.
“She could have gave up at the beginning of the season, but whenever Coach called her name she was ready,” Edwards said. “And you’ve seen it in spurts the whole season. We knew we could depend on her when we needed to. We’re super proud. She’s resilient. She works hard. And, again, it’s not an if, it’s a when.”
The when is the Final Four. And if South Carolina wins on Sunday, Dauda will have a place in Gamecock lore.
