Defending Champion South Carolina Advances to Final Four with 54-50 Win Over Duke in March Madness

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – South Carolina’s head coach Dawn Staley took a victory lap around the court, high-fiving fans and the Gamecocks’ band, even signing the back of a baby’s pants in a moment that had the crowd buzzing.

For Staley and her team, it was another trip to the Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament, a place they’ve become all too familiar with. This time, however, they had to dig deep to earn the spot, edging out Duke 54-50 in a hard-fought battle on Sunday.

Chloe Kitts led the charge with 14 points, and with this victory, the defending champions are headed to their fifth consecutive Final Four. As Staley put it, “It’s not going to look pretty. It’s not. There’s stretches in each game that does not look pretty. Some of it’s not going to look as smoothly as us coaches and players envision. How we practice. But you certainly have to get down and play the kind of game that’s presented in front of you. We’ll do that. If we’re not scoring a lot of points, we’ll up our defense.”

South Carolina (34-3) did just that. With the win, they are now just two victories away from making history as the first team to repeat as NCAA champions since UConn’s four-peat from 2013 to 2016. They will face the winner of Monday night’s Texas-TCU game in Tampa on Friday.

Duke (29-8), the second seed, was aiming for its first national semifinal appearance since 2006, when they lost in overtime to Maryland in the championship game. They were also hoping to join their men’s program in the Final Four.

The Gamecocks, who typically average 80.5 points per game, struggled offensively throughout the contest against Duke’s stout defense. “I thought they forced us into taking some bad shots that almost ended our season, really, especially in the first half,” Staley reflected after the game.

With the score tied at 46, Sania Feagin (12 points) hit a clutch jumper to give South Carolina the lead with 4:21 left. Kitts, named the Most Outstanding Player of the region, followed with two free throws just 42 seconds later to make it 50-46.

Duke’s Toby Fournier, who finished with 18 points, kept the Blue Devils in it, scoring a layup with 3:21 left to narrow the deficit to two. With just under 30 seconds remaining, Duke trailed 52-50 and had a chance to tie or take the lead after a controversial offensive foul on South Carolina’s Bree Hall during an inbound play.

Duke worked the clock down before Ashlon Jackson missed a 3-pointer with seven seconds left. Hall grabbed the rebound, and South Carolina called a timeout.

Duke head coach Kara Lawson explained, “Went with the ball in Ashlon’s hands as she had been making plays for us in the fourth quarter out of the ball screen. She tried to make a play and just missed it.”

Kitts was fouled with 5.7 seconds remaining and sealed the game with two calm free throws, sending the 11,252 fans in attendance into celebration. Duke turned the ball over on their final inbound play, and South Carolina ran out the clock.

“A lot of things we asked our players to do and they delivered in a big way,” said Lawson. “It wasn’t enough. Hold your head high, you competed. They competed as hard as you could. As a coach that’s all you can ask.”

Duke started the second half with a 16-6 run, taking their first lead since the opening minutes. Fournier’s layup with 2:27 left made it 38-32, and Duke held a 42-38 advantage heading into the final quarter.

This was the first postseason meeting between the two teams.

Key Takeaways:

• Duke’s young team, led by sophomores, will look to build on this Elite Eight run.
• South Carolina is now just two wins away from cementing their legacy in women’s college basketball history.

Key Moment:

Despite trailing 42-38 at the start of the fourth, South Carolina opened the period with an 8-0 run, never looking back.

Key Stat:

Duke’s bench outscored South Carolina’s reserves 24-9, despite the Gamecocks’ depth being a key strength all season.

A New Experience:

In a lighthearted moment after the game, Staley, while celebrating with her team, was handed a baby by a fan, who asked her to sign the child’s pants. “That was a first. My hand was shaking,” Staley laughed.