South Carolina guard Zia Cooke celebrates win over Texas on Tuesday to reach the Final Four. Eric Gay/Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO — One by one, South Carolina players walked through the confetti and climbed the ladder to cut down the net in the Alamodome.
It was only fitting that the Gamecocks got to keep the nylon. They used it way more than Texas did.
Zia Cooke scored 16 points and South Carolina used its stifling defense to advance to the Final Four for the third time, shutting down Texas for a 62-34 victory Tuesday night.
Top-seeded South Carolina blocked 14 shots, nine by Laeticia Amihere, and held No. 6 Texas to 23% shooting. The Longhorns were outscored 10-0 in the fourth quarter.
The Gamecocks have been on a mission ever since they felt they were denied a real chance at the national title last season when the NCAA Tournament was cancelled because of the pandemic. It showed all night long, but especially during the first scoreless quarter in the tourney since the women’s game went to quarters in 2016.
“It says they’re locked in,” South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley said. “They have been focused, they wanted the opportunity to get to the Final Four. They know nothing about what they just accomplished. I like who we’re bringing into this Final Four.”
South Carolina (26-4) won the Hemisfair Region to advance to Friday’s national semifinal against Alamo Region winner No. 1 Stanford.
Destanni Henderson and Victaria Saxton each scored 12 for the Gamecocks, and Amihere also had 10 points and eight rebounds in a terrific all-around performance.
South Carolina ran out to an 19-point lead in the third quarter, and responded to a Texas run with a burst started by a 3-pointer from Henderson. Then it put a lid on basket in the fourth.
“We don’t back down from anyone,” Cooke said. “We just made sure that we put our foot on the gas, kept our guard up and did what we needed to do.”
Staley ran her championship game record against Texas’ Vic Schaefer to 6-0, dating to when they faced each other in the SEC when Schaefer was at Mississippi State. That includes beating Schaefer in the 2017 national final.
“They can test you at everything that you do. Whether 3-point range or at the rim,” Schaefer said. ”That’s a reflection of Dawn. To me, those kids really embody probably how she was as a player.”
Schaefer took the Texas job in April 2020 and coaxed an impressive postseason run out of the Longhorns behind a grinding defense that carried the school to the brink of its first women’s Final Four since 2003.
Texas was looking to become just the third No. 6 seed to make the Final Four since Notre Dame in 1997.
“This feeling right now, it’s tough,” said guard Kyra Lambert, who played at least 38 minutes in Texas’ last three games. “This is not how I pictured this to end.”
The Longhorns looked tired and a step slow after tough wins over UCLA and Maryland. They may have simply been worn out by the time they matched up with the big and quick Gamecocks, who pressured the ball on the perimeter and denied shots inside.
Audrey Warren led the Longhorns (21-10) with 13 points.
“Texas was a little tired,” Staley said. “I said, ‘They may have some weary legs, but their hearts are going to keep beating.’ And their hearts did keep beating, it’s just that we just never let them off the hook.”
South Carolina had no problems attacking the Texas defense early, with three backdoor passes for layups by Saxton as the Gamecocks raced to an 18-7 lead. And the Gamecocks denied drives to the basket and produced four quick blocks when Texas tried.
The Longhorns shot just 3 of 16 in the first quarter. Meanwhile, South Carolina shot 57% in the first half and stretched the lead to 41-22 early in the third before Texas clawed back with a 9-0 run that forced Staley to call timeout.
South Carolina answered with a 3-pointer from Henderson to start the Gamecocks on the run that would put the game away.
Stanford guard Haley Jones reacts to a score against Louisville during the second half Tuesday night. Eric Gay/Associated Press
ALAMO REGION
(1) STANFORD 78, (2) LOUISVILLE 63: Lexie Hull scored 21 points and Stanford reached the Final Four by rallying for a victory over Louisville.
Next up for the top-seeded Cardinal is South Carolina on Friday night in a rematch of the 2017 national semifinals. Stanford dropped that one 62-53, ending its previous appearance in the Final Four. UConn and Arizona meet in the other national semifinal.
Stanford (29-2) trailed by 12 midway through the third quarter before scoring 13 consecutive points to take its first lead since early in the game. The teams traded baskets the rest of the period and No. 2 seed Louisville (26-4) was up 50-48 heading into the final quarter.
The Cardinal scored the first 10 points of the fourth to go up 58-50. That run was capped by Kiana Williams’ 3-pointer. The San Antonio native had a rough start to the game, missing 11 of her first 12 shots. She finally got going offensively, hitting four shots in a row to help Stanford build its lead.
Stanford was up 68-60 with just over 3 minutes left when Williams hit a step-back 3 that sealed the victory. She finished with 14 points.
The win moves the Cardinal one step closer to getting Coach Tara VanDerveer her first national championship since 1992 and No. 3 overall. Now the Cardinal have reached a 14th Final Four.
The loss potentially ends the stellar collegiate career of All-America guard Dana Evans, who could decide to return next year since the NCAA awarded all players an extra year of eligibility this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The senior guard scored 24 points for Louisville, but got little help on offense.
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