South Carolina tops NC State in Final Four to reach NCAA title game

CLEVELAND – The South Carolina Gamecocks aren’t done dancing just yet.

The national championship game eluded them last season. No more. This team will not be denied.

No. 1 South Carolina defeated No. 3 seed North Carolina State 78-59 Friday night in the NCAA Tournament Final Four at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The Gamecocks are 37-0 and one win away from becoming the 10th team in Division I women’s basketball history to go undefeated and win a national championship. (UConn did it last in 2016.)

South Carolina is back in the title game for a third time in program history, having won the last two appearances (2017, 2022), and after losing to Iowa in the Final Four last year.

The Gamecocks on Friday started guards Te-Hina Paopao, Raven Johnson and Bree Hall along with forward Chloe Kitts and center Kamilla Cardoso.

Three South Carolina players achieved double-digit points: Cardoso (22), Paopao (10) and Johnson (13). Sophomore reserve Ashlyn Watkins had a team-high 20 rebounds. Paopao also had a team-high six assists, and Johnson had five.

South Carolina will face No. 1 Iowa at 3 p.m. Sunday. Iowa held off Connecticut 71-69 in the late game.

Cardoso was South Carolina’s most productive player by far in the first half.

She started 6 of 6 from the field, scoring 12 points in the second quarter and 16 in the first half.

Her scoring came from nicely placed passes from teammates such as Raven Johnson and Tessa Johnson, as well as Cardoso making solid moves on the floor. She did a great job of channeling the dominant, “Killa Milla” coach Dawn Staley has looked for out of her all season.

But with about 2 minutes left in the second quarter, Cardoso went to the ground after making a move under the basket. She limped up and down the court for some time before a South Carolina foul allowed for a break in the action and for Watkins to come in her place.

Cardoso returned to the court with the rest of the team to warm up for the second half with a black sleeve on her right leg, which she wasn’t wearing to start the game.

She ended the game with a team-high 22 points (10-of-12 shooting from the floor) to go with 11 rebounds.

After a heartbreaking national semifinal game last season, Raven Johnson was one of the best, most well-rounded players on the court.

She led the Gamecocks with three 3-pointers to go with five assists and three steals. Johnson also did an excellent job taking care of the basketball, registering zero turnovers. She played an integral role in South Carolina’s 16-5 run to open the third quarter, hitting her second 3 of the night and dishing to Cardoso in the paint.

Johnson left the game during the fourth quarter complaining of hamstring issues.

She went to the locker room with about 5 minutes left in the game, and the team doctor, Jeff Guy, followed a few minutes later.

Johnson returned to the bench with 2:33 left.

After struggling to get the offense going in the first half, South Carolina erupted in the third quarter.

After one period of basketball, both teams were tied at 16 points apiece.

The Gamecocks led 32-31 at halftime, then came the third quarter.

South Carolina opened the quarter on a 16-5 run and ended it on a 17-1 run. Four Gamecocks hit a 3 in the quarter: Paopao went 2 of 2; Hall went 1 of 1; Raven Johnson went 1 of 2, as did Tessa Johnson. Together they went 5 of 9 from the perimeter and 12 of 20 from the field.

South Carolina outscored N.C. State 29-6 in the quarter.