ALBANY, N.Y. — With her team’s perfect season on the line, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley had total faith that Raven Johnson would make the necessary plays.
The sophomore guard did just that for the NCAA tournament’s overall No. 1 seed, hitting a huge 3-pointer in the final minute to help the Gamecocks remain unbeaten with a 79-75 win over Indiana in a Sweet 16 matchup Friday in the Albany 1 Region.
“I saw Raven’s eyes coming down the stretch as our lead was diminishing, and I knew she wasn’t going to let us lose,” Staley said. “She was going to do something. She had two big baskets.”
Johnson’s 3 came after South Carolina (35-0) nearly blew a 22-point lead over fourth-seeded Indiana (26-6) in the second half. The advantage was down to 74-72 when Staley called a timeout to set up a play that was supposed to go to 6-foot-7 Kamilla Cardoso, who led the team with 22 points. The star center, a former prep standout at Chattanooga’s Hamilton Heights, was being double-teamed when she caught the ball, so she passed it to Johnson for the 3.
“I was open, and all I could think was: ‘Let it go. I don’t want to lose,'” said Johnson, who scored 14 points. “Just going from last year. Nobody can sag off me this year, and I take that very personal. And I get in the gym every day and put up reps and I think that’s where it comes from, the confidence.”