Sweet Sixteen Bound! Gamecocks advance to Greensboro with NCAA win over FSU
March 24, 2019
As Dawn Staley likes to call them, it was another “knock-down, drag out” fight between South Carolina women’s basketball and Florida State in the NCAA tournament.
But for the third time in the past five years, the Gamecocks came out on top over the Seminoles, winning 72-64 to advance to their sixth consecutive Sweet 16 at Halton Arena on Sunday.
Fourth-seeded USC (23-9) had to overcome a rough day on the defensive glass and make several clutch free throws to clinch the back-and-forth victory — Florida State had 23 offensive rebounds and 19 second chance points, but Carolina went 20-for-24 from the free throw line, including 8-for-10 in the fourth quarter.
Neither team led by more than nine points all game, and heading into a tense fourth quarter, USC led just 52-51.
Senior forward Alexis Jennings, who had seven points through the first three quarters, then put the Gamecocks on her back, scoring six consecutive points.
FSU, however, continued to feast on the offensive boards, pulling down 12 offensive rebounds in the second half and converting those into layups to tie the game 60-60. Head coach Dawn Staley called timeout with 2:31 to play.
Coming out of the timeout, Cooper drove the lane and found Jennings for a layup inside, and she was fouled. After she converted the three-point play, FSU got a jumper from guard Nicki Ekhomu to make the score 63-62.
South Carolina freshman Victaria Saxton was then fouled under the basket just before the shot clock expired, and she made both free throws to restore the three-point advantage. FSU responded by missing three shots on the next possession but collecting the offensive rebound every time, finally grabbing a layup to make it a one-point game again.
But with less than 30 seconds to play, junior guard Tyasha Harris came up huge, driving the lane and sinking a layup while being fouled. She added the free thrown to make it 68-64.
From there, Florida State had no answer, missing a pair of 3-point attempts and committing fouls while going for the rebound to keep sending the Gamecocks back the line.
Harris’s clutch And-1 late mirrored how she opened the game with the hoop and harm, establishing an early USC lead.
But as it did for most of the day, Florida State bounced back and took the lead with a 7-0 run, only for South Carolina to claw back within one, 11-10 on a 3-pointer from junior guard Te’a Cooper.
FSU shot back ahead with another 7-0 run, but Cooper then exploded for seven consecutive points to make the score 18-17 when the first media timeout was called with 1:18 left in the quarter.
Junior forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, who missed the first half of the first round game due to a coach’s decision, drained a 3 with one second left on the clock to tie the game at 20 after one quarter.
Neither team shot particularly well in the second quarter, and the pace of play slowing slightly, with more fouls being called. The teams also continued to trade baskets — the lead changed hands six times in the first half.
When Cooper went to the bench early in the second quarter, however, Herbert Harrigan took over the offensive production. She scored 10 points in the quarter, all during a 12-4 run that gave the Gamecocks a 37-30 advantage at the half. She also helped to negate FSU’s rebounding advantage in the quarter, at least somewhat.
The Gamecocks stretched their lead to nine points off a layup and free-throw for Jennings in the third quarter, but FSU steadily chipped its way back into the contest, making four of five field goal attempts and putting up a 7-1 run capped by a 3-pointer from sophomore forward Kiah Gillespie.
Herbert Harrigan once again picked USC up, sparking another spurt with a pair of blocks and two free throws. In a frantic sequence to close the quarter, however, senior guard Bianca Cuevas-Moore missed a corner 3-pointer, allowing FSU to spring a fast break and close the deficit to 52-51.
Next: The Gamecocks will play the winner of No. 1 seed Baylor vs. No. 8 seed California in the Sweet 16 in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Saturday.
March 24, 2019
As Dawn Staley likes to call them, it was another “knock-down, drag out” fight between South Carolina women’s basketball and Florida State in the NCAA tournament.
But for the third time in the past five years, the Gamecocks came out on top over the Seminoles, winning 72-64 to advance to their sixth consecutive Sweet 16 at Halton Arena on Sunday.
Fourth-seeded USC (23-9) had to overcome a rough day on the defensive glass and make several clutch free throws to clinch the back-and-forth victory — Florida State had 23 offensive rebounds and 19 second chance points, but Carolina went 20-for-24 from the free throw line, including 8-for-10 in the fourth quarter.
Neither team led by more than nine points all game, and heading into a tense fourth quarter, USC led just 52-51.
Senior forward Alexis Jennings, who had seven points through the first three quarters, then put the Gamecocks on her back, scoring six consecutive points.
FSU, however, continued to feast on the offensive boards, pulling down 12 offensive rebounds in the second half and converting those into layups to tie the game 60-60. Head coach Dawn Staley called timeout with 2:31 to play.
Coming out of the timeout, Cooper drove the lane and found Jennings for a layup inside, and she was fouled. After she converted the three-point play, FSU got a jumper from guard Nicki Ekhomu to make the score 63-62.
South Carolina freshman Victaria Saxton was then fouled under the basket just before the shot clock expired, and she made both free throws to restore the three-point advantage. FSU responded by missing three shots on the next possession but collecting the offensive rebound every time, finally grabbing a layup to make it a one-point game again.
But with less than 30 seconds to play, junior guard Tyasha Harris came up huge, driving the lane and sinking a layup while being fouled. She added the free thrown to make it 68-64.
From there, Florida State had no answer, missing a pair of 3-point attempts and committing fouls while going for the rebound to keep sending the Gamecocks back the line.
Harris’s clutch And-1 late mirrored how she opened the game with the hoop and harm, establishing an early USC lead.
But as it did for most of the day, Florida State bounced back and took the lead with a 7-0 run, only for South Carolina to claw back within one, 11-10 on a 3-pointer from junior guard Te’a Cooper.
FSU shot back ahead with another 7-0 run, but Cooper then exploded for seven consecutive points to make the score 18-17 when the first media timeout was called with 1:18 left in the quarter.
Junior forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, who missed the first half of the first round game due to a coach’s decision, drained a 3 with one second left on the clock to tie the game at 20 after one quarter.
Neither team shot particularly well in the second quarter, and the pace of play slowing slightly, with more fouls being called. The teams also continued to trade baskets — the lead changed hands six times in the first half.
When Cooper went to the bench early in the second quarter, however, Herbert Harrigan took over the offensive production. She scored 10 points in the quarter, all during a 12-4 run that gave the Gamecocks a 37-30 advantage at the half. She also helped to negate FSU’s rebounding advantage in the quarter, at least somewhat.
The Gamecocks stretched their lead to nine points off a layup and free-throw for Jennings in the third quarter, but FSU steadily chipped its way back into the contest, making four of five field goal attempts and putting up a 7-1 run capped by a 3-pointer from sophomore forward Kiah Gillespie.
Herbert Harrigan once again picked USC up, sparking another spurt with a pair of blocks and two free throws. In a frantic sequence to close the quarter, however, senior guard Bianca Cuevas-Moore missed a corner 3-pointer, allowing FSU to spring a fast break and close the deficit to 52-51.
Next: The Gamecocks will play the winner of No. 1 seed Baylor vs. No. 8 seed California in the Sweet 16 in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Saturday.
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