GREENSBORO, N.C. — South Carolina, the top-seeded team in the women’s tournament, is heading to its fourth Final Four after defeating Creighton 80-50 on Sunday.
The Gamecocks put together a great show in one their best games of 2014. The 10th-seeded Bluejays, one of several big underdogs in the men’s and women’s tournaments this year, were no match for Aliyah Boston, the Gamecocks’ star forward, who scored 19 points.
But just as great movies cannot rely on a single star, Boston leaned on a supporting cast of guard Brea Beal, forward Victaria Saxton and guard Destanni Henderson to stop Creighton’s impressive defense. The downside of South Carolina’s proficient shooting game: Boston subbed out early and her streak of 27 consecutive double-doubles came to an end. Saxton filled in the gaps and had 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists.
South Carolina will play either No. 1 Louisville or No. 3 Michigan on Friday, in Minneapolis
The Gamecocks hope to win a national championship for 2017 for the first time. South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley, a Hall of Fame player and an Olympic gold medalist as a player and a coach, has practiced a mantra of “control what you can control,” an adage her players have locked into over the season.
South Carolina had an immediate height advantage on Sunday night: The average height on the Gamecocks’ roster is 6-foot-1, while Creighton’s averages 5-foot-10 (no one on the Bluejays is taller than 6-foot-1). Creighton tried to limit the 6-foot-5 Boston’s second-chance points by throwing four players on her at a time and forcing her to work double-time on the perimeter.
The Gamecocks showed the supercharged confidence that returning players have on their wide builds and faces. It has led to the program making six appearances in round 8, five of which under Staley.
They entered the tournament with only two losses this season, including a defeat by Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference championship match in March. Their dominance over the entire season did not translate into easy wins in the N.C.A.A.’s early rounds. tournament. They couldn’t keep up with Creighton and other smaller, faster teams, and their offense missed opportunities to make a No. They would have been expected to be the No. 1 overall seed.
South Carolina has shown surprising success throughout the tournament. The Gamecocks did what they are best at: They attacked the basket and used the Gamecocks’ height to their advantage. The 6-foot-7 center Kamilla cardoso, who is 6’7″, caught a pass over 6-foot-1 Morgan Maly, a sophomore guard, and landed a basket.
When Creighton’s Payton Brotzki tried to grab an offensive rebound in the fourth quarter, Boston quickly intervened and gave her the side glance of an unwelcome visitor.
If South Carolina’s relaxed game relied on experience, the Bluejays looked nervous even when they made it through South Carolina’s towering defense, missing layups they had easily secured against Iowa State on Friday. Their reliable 3-point game was unpredictable and their play was erratic.
The Gamecocks are now attempting to correct the mistakes of the 2021 semifinals defeat to Stanford, who was eventually crowned champion.
Creighton has been a constant threat to its competitors throughout the competition. No. 7 Colorado, No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Iowa State to become the rare and coveted No. 10 seed to reach the round of 8, making it for the first time in the program’s history. The Bluejays were short in height but made up for it in consistency defense and fluidity. They took a all-hands-on deck approach across the court and often sent their biggest players to 3-point line.
Lauren Jensen, a sophomore guard, led the Bluejays’ scoring with 12 points.
Bluejays were a young team and played every game like it would be their last. They were eager for every shot, dribble fake-out, drive, and dribble. But their “we made it this far, why not us?” mentality, as the junior guard Carly Bachelor described it Saturday, could take them only so far.
The Gamecocks celebrated with confetti at Greensboro Coliseum. The Bluejays then reflected on a year that had surprised many. Tatum Rembao, a senior guard, said she was frustrated and “angry” that they lost, “but really joyful that I got to experience all that I got to experience all these last 10 days and last five years.”
Source: NY Times
