South Carolina outlasts Maryland 71-67 in March Madness
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 23 points, including a go-ahead layup with 2:22 left, and Chloe Kitts added 15 points and 11 rebounds to help No. 1 seed South Carolina beat fourth-seeded Maryland 71-67 on Friday in the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament.
The defending national champion Gamecocks went back-and-forth with the Terrapins all game before finally doing enough in the final few minutes to put it away.
South Carolina will face Duke in the Elite Eight on Sunday. The Blue Devils beat Atlantic Coast Conference rival North Carolina 47-38 earlier Friday.
Dawn Staley’s team trailed 60-59 with 3:25 left before holding Maryland without a point over the next three minutes. Fulwiley’s layup began the 7-0 run that gave the Gamecocks (33-3) just enough of a cushion.
Kitts added three free throws during the spurt and Fulwiley scored on a coast-to-coast drive.
The Gamecocks were up 66-60 with 25 seconds left when Saylor Poffenbarger ended Maryland’s scoring drought with a 3-pointer.
But the Terps couldn’t get closer as the Gamecocks made five of six free throws down the stretch, including two by Fulwiley with 10.9 seconds left that made it 71-65.
Kaylene Smikle scored 17 points to lead Maryland (25-8) before fouling out.
Neither team could get into an offensive flow in the first three quarters. South Carolina trailed 43-39 late in the third before closing out the period with a 13-7 run that was capped by a spectacular transition basket by Fulwiley, who went behind her back and then hit a pull-up shot.
GAMECOCK NOTABLES
- With the victory over Maryland, South Carolina advances to its fifth-straight Elite Eight, eighth under Head Coach Dawn Staley and ninth in program history.
- The South Carolina’s bench continued to dominate, outscoring the Terps’ bench 40-14.
- The Gamecocks won the battle of the boards 47-34 and played the Terps even in the paint 32-32. South Carolina improved to 33-1 when tying or out-scoring opponents in the paint.
- MiLaysia Fulwiley finished one point shy of her career high with 23 points, putting up 11 in the crucial fourth quarter that gave the Gamecocks a six point lead with a minute remaining.
- Chloe Kitts had a strong first quarter, scoring 10 of her 15 points in the first five minutes and grabbing five of her 11 boards to secure her 11th double-double of the season.
- Sania Feagin finished with seven points, highlighted by two clutch free throws in the fourth quarter that kept the Gamecocks ahead by six with under 20 seconds to go.
- The win sets up a rematch with Duke, which South Carolina defeated 81-70 on Dec. 5 in Columbia.
