The first national semifinal game kicked off on Friday night in Dallas with No. 1 seed South Carolina taking on No. 2 seed Stanford. It was a tale of two halves, with Stanford dominating early, but South Carolina taking over late and when it mattered most.
NCAA Women’s Final Four results: South Carolina advances to championship game with 62-53 win over Stanford
Dawn Staley’s halftime adjustments got South Carolina to the final game.
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The second quarter in particular belonged to Stanford, as the Cardinal put the defensive clamps on South Carolina. After taking a 14-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Gamecocks started the second quarter 0-of-8. Coach Tara VanDerveer had Stanford in a zone defense that was preventing South Carolina from getting anything easy. The defense held South Carolina’s A’ja Wilson to only four points in the first half due to seeing two or three defenders each time she touched the ball.
In a moment that proved to be game changing, with four minutes left in the second quarter, Stanford’s Karlie Samuelson roller her ankle and was carried off the court. Samuelson was able to put minimal weight on her foot on the way to the locker room but it would prove problematic later in the game. Erica McCall led the way for Stanford, finishing with 10 points and six rebounds, and Stanford had a 29-20 lead at the half.
While Stanford dominated the first half, it was all South Carolina in the second. With Samuelson limited in what she could do, South Carolina was able to clamp down defensively and force tough shots. South Carolina also found its rhythm on offense, hitting as many field goals in the third quarter as it did in the entire first half. Whatever Staley said at halftime to this team, it worked. South Carolina led 41-37 at the end of the third quarter and pulled away to win 62-53 at the final buzzer.
A’ja Wilson led the way for South Carolina with 13 points and 19 rebounds for the Gamecocks, but it was Allisha Gray who would put South Carolina over the edge. Gray was there for big moment after big moment, including this tough shot plus the foul late in the game. Gray finished with a game-high 18 points.
South Carolina will play the winner of UConn-Mississippi State for the national championship on Sunday night.
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