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Dawn Staley leads South Carolina to 5th consecutive Elite Eight with narrow win vs. Maryland
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Dawn Staley’s South Carolina women’s basketball machine is back in its rightful place, as it advanced to its 5th consecutive Elite Eight on Friday night.
But unlike a lot of the Gamecocks’ NCAA Tournament victories, this one was far from easy. It was actually a grind in Birmingham, but Staley’s team prevailed like it almost always does these days and especially this time of year. Staley has led the Gamecocks to 3 national championships since 2017, and South Carolina has won 2 of the past 3 titles under the legendary Staley.
That just means it gets harder to win the next year, and fourth-seeded Maryland gave the top-seeded titans of women’s college basketball all they could handle. South Carolina finally prevailed 71-67 in a game it actually trailed by 2 at halftime, something Staley’s teams aren’t used to during these days of domination.
But despite shooting just 38.5% from the field and 26.7% from 3-point land, the Gamecocks grinded it out thanks to 23 points off the bench from sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley, who added 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block in 21 huge minutes. Staley’s crew also benefitted from a dominant performance on the glass, where it out-rebounded Maryland by a staggering 47-34.
The Gamecocks’ dominance inside also included 7 blocks, as they took over down low to escape and move on to the Elite Eight.
South Carolina will face second-seeded Duke for the right to get to yet another Final Four and defend its title. The Blue Devils fended off third-seeded rival North Carolina in a 47-38 game that made South Carolina-Maryland look like a track meet.
Going into Sunday’s regional final, Staley now stands 3 victories from her fourth national crown.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
