BIRMINGHAM, ALA
South Carolina women’s basketball will live to see another day.
The No. 1 seed Gamecocks (33-3) evaded an upset bid from No. 4 Maryland on Friday in the Sweet 16 at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.
South Carolina won the game 71-67 thanks to a big fourth-quarter performance from its sophomore phenom MiLaysia Fulwiley. She had a game-high 23-points.
The Terrapins turned the ball over five times in the game’s final two minutes, including twice on in-bounds plays.
“We’re a resilient group,” South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said.
Among the elite
South Carolina punched a ticket to the Elite Eight with the win. It’s the fifth-straight trip to the regional final of the NCAA Tournament for the Gamecocks.
South Carolina will face off with No. 2 Duke on Sunday at 1 p.m. on ABC.
The Gamecocks and Blue Devils faced off earlier this season in Columbia. South Carolina won that game 81-70.
University of South Carolina’s MiLaysia Fulwiley (12) shoots as Maryland Terrapins’ Mir McLean (10) falls during the first half of action at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham on Friday, March 28, 2025 in the Birmingham 2 regional of the NCAA Tournament. Tracy Glantz [email protected]
Another slow start
The Gamecocks were trailing at halftime for the second time this NCAA Tournament. The Terrapins were leading 33-31 at the half.
South Carolina led all of the first quarter, but Maryland took its first lead with just over six minutes left in the second quarter and led for the remainder of the period.
Offense came at a premium for both teams in the first half. Maryland shot 35.7% from the field while South Carolina shot just 31.6%.
Chloe Kitts was responsible for the first 10 points of the game for the Gamecocks. After her quick outburst, Fulwiley followed with a seven-point streak of her own.
Outside of Kitts and Fulwiley, South Carolina was 4 of 20 from the field.
Three different players — Te-Hina Paopao, Sania Feagin and Tessa Johnson — had two fouls early in the first half. Paopao played just six minutes as a result in the half.
University of South Carolina’s Chloe Kitts (21) goes for a rebound with Maryland Terrapins’ Shyanne Sellers (0) during the first half of action at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham on Friday, March 28, 2025 in the Birmingham 2 regional of the NCAA Tournament. Tracy Glantz [email protected]
Back and forth second half
South Carolina’s third quarter Friday couldn’t quite replicate the third-quarter run it had last weekend against Indiana.
Maryland opened the second half on a 10-6 run and led as many as seven points in the third quarter, its largest lead of the game at that point.
Still, South Carolina was able to hang around.
“I just think our team has been through so much,” Staley said. “They’re unshakeable. They’re unflappable. Our conference gives us a lot of confidence to be able to be in a tight-knit game and find a way to win because that’s what it’s about at this stage of the game.”
The Gamecocks put together a fast 7-0 run with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter to give South Carolina its first lead since midway through the second quarter.
South Carolina out-shot Maryland 72.7% to 41.2% and outscored the Terrapins 21-17 in the third quarter, affording the Gamecocks a 52-50 lead at the end of the quarter.
Both teams shared nearly equal time as leaders in the game, and there were at least seven lead changes. Neither team led by more than seven points.
Fulwiley took over the game in the fourth quarter for the Gamecocks. She scored 11 points in the period and finished with 23. Kitts (15) was the only other Gamecock to finish with double-digits in the scoring column.
“I think every game I feel like I need to do more,” Fulwiley said. “My teammates they kinda tell me every game that I need to be on top of my game, do what I do best, driving or scoring. I think today I kind of just was locked in and determined and kind of really scraped forward with what I wanted to do, which was score.”
South Carolina’s next NCAA game
- Who: South Carolina vs. Duke
- When: 1 p.m. Sunday
- Where: Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama
- TV: ABC
- Stream: ESPN app
This story was originally published March 28, 2025 at 7:10 PM.
