South Carolina kept its undefeated season going on Sunday with another narrow win, this time a 70-58 triumph over Oregon State in the Elite Eight. The Gamecocks, now 36-0 have advanced to the Final Four for a fourth consecutive season, and will play the winner of Texas and NC State on April 5 in Cleveland, Ohio.
"That's our team, they're resilient," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. "They deserve this. They've worked extremely hard to be where we are. I'm super proud of them. I'm giving all the glory to God though. God is really funny, he's really funny. The devastating loss we had last year, to put us back here with a totally different team. If you don't believe in God, something's wrong with you, seriously. I'm a believer because he makes things come true."
Just a minute and 28 seconds into the game, Bree Hall went to the line and made a free throw to give the Gamecocks a 3-2 lead. They never trailed again, but it was not a comfortable afternoon. Every time the Gamecocks threatened to pull away, the Beavers had a response.
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That trend continued late in the second half. The Gamecocks used a third-quarter surge to push their lead up to 14 points, but the Beavers opened the fourth on a 12-4 run and had the deficit down to four points with 3:53 to play. Freshman guard Tessa Johnson ensured that was as close as the Beavers would get, as she scored the next five points and seven of the final eight for the Gamecocks.
Johnson finished with a team-high 15 points and three assists to lead a strong bench attack for the Gamecocks. Johnson, Ashlyn Watkins, Sania Feagin and MiLaysia Fulwiley combined for 38 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks, and came up with huge plays on both ends of the floor.
The Gamecocks also took advantage of their superior length and athleticism to dominate in the paint. They had 44 paint points compared to just 14 for the Beavers, thanks in large part to a whopping 22 offensive rebounds and 28 second-chance points.
"It's all about the players," Staley said. "It's all about the players' commitment. You saw we had so many players come in and out of the basketball game, we had some players had to sit a little bit longer than they usually do, but they all want to win for each other, so they sacrificed some of their personal goals and benefits for the greater good of our team."
