BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The South Carolina women’s basketball team did just enough to continue its chase of back-to-back NCAA Division I championships — and a third in four years — thanks in large part to MiLaysia Fulwiley.
The sophomore guard scored 23 points, including a go-ahead layup with 2:22 left, and Chloe Kitts added 15 points and 11 rebounds to help the Gamecocks, the top seed in Region 2, beat fourth-seeded Maryland 71-67 in a Sweet 16 matchup Friday at Legacy Arena.
“We’re a resilient group. People thought we had the easiest region. I think so. It’s not easy at all, it gets harder, because we’ve got to play Duke,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said of her team’s next opponent. “I just think our team has been through so much. They’re unshakeable, you know. They’re unflappable.”
Staley added that playing in the tough Southeastern Conference, where the Gamecocks shared the regular-season title with Texas before beating the Longhorns in the league tournament title game, gave her team “confidence to be able to be in a tight-knit game and find a way to win, because that’s what it’s about at this stage of the game.”
The Gamecocks (33-3) went back and forth with the Terrapins (25-8) before finally doing enough in the final few minutes to put away the win and advance to Sunday’s Elite Eight matchup with Duke on the same court. The winner then moves on to next weekend’s Final Four in Tampa, Florida.