CLEVELAND — Top overall seed South Carolina defeated No. 3 seed. north carolina They won 78-59 in the first semifinal game of the Women’s Final Four on Friday night at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
After an even first half, the Gamecocks got off to a strong start to the third quarter, going on a 16-5 run, and North Carolina State head coach Wes Moore scored at the 6:29 mark of the third quarter. I had to take a timeout. NC State ended up winning 29-6 in the third quarter, holding the Wolfpack scoreless for six of those minutes.
North Carolina State advanced to the Final Four by defeating No. 1 seed Texas and No. 2 seed Stanford. They talked Thursday about how they were “party crashers” in Cleveland and how having an underdog mentality has motivated them throughout the Wolfpack’s intense NCAA Tournament run.
The University of South Carolina entered the NCAA Tournament undefeated and won the SEC Tournament title. Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley has won multiple Coach of the Year awards and is one step closer to winning a national championship.
Here are three big takeaways from Friday’s first semifinal.
cardoso is a threat
Cardoso had a monster performance in the first half, scoring 16 points while grabbing 7 rebounds. With 1:39 left in the first half, she appeared to land awkwardly on her ankle while going up to the block. She left the game to head to the locker room, but she returned in the second half and she played a few minutes in the second half.
In the locker room after the game, sophomore Raven Johnson was asked about Cardoso’s injury and said he wasn’t worried about Cardoso’s start off the court.
“Kira Mira, that’s her mentality. She’s hurt and she’s playing through it. She wants to win and she’ll do whatever it takes to win,” Johnson said. Ta.
Johnson also left the game to go to the locker room in the fourth quarter, but said after the game that he only hyperextended his knee and was fine.
“You play to your strengths. Camila is our strength. She’s 6 feet 7 inches tall. She’s agile. She can manipulate the paint,” Staley said. . “She’s playing with a desire to win. I think she called for the ball a few times as well, which means getting the ball to her.”
Fortunately, her team doesn’t have to rely as much on her post presence now that she’s scoring. Cardoso had 22 points and 11 rebounds in a total of 22 minutes of play.
“I thought she was going to be OK,” sophomore Ashlyn Watkins said. “Camila is a warrior. She’s not going to let an injury like that affect her. She’s going to push and be ready for Sunday.”
NC state cooled
The guard play of Asia James and Sanya Rivers has led the Wolfpack to this point in the tournament. Their shooting today wasn’t as hot as it has been in the past. James had a solid game, leading the team with 20 points, while Rivers was held to just five points. Senior center River Baldwin had 12 points and nine rebounds while dealing with the touch challenges of not only guarding the Pats but also having to face Cardoso on offense.
team play
South Carolina’s team has an advantage in many games due to its undeniable depth. The Shamcocks had eight different players contribute to the score in Friday’s win. This is why South Carolina is the heavy favorite going into this season’s game. The defense is solid, with multiple players who can shoot the ball.
Johnson said he instructed his team to play simple basketball with Staley at halftime. Johnson said the team’s motivation after last year’s Final Four loss is always on his mind, and he said the team has unfinished business here.
“When we came into the game (in the second half), it was a different mentality,” Johnson said. “It was a hungry spirit. We utilized our depth (for the win).”
