[ad_1]
Seeded South Carolina defeated sixth-seeded Texas 62-34 in the final chapter of the rivalry between head coaches Dawn Staley and Vic Schaefer. As impressive as the final score is for the Gamecocks, what is even more impressive is the defensive effort of the last quarter.
The fourth quarter saw Staley’s side holding the Longhorns to zero – that’s right, zero – points in the final frame. Texas missed 20 straight shots to end the game, a streak that began in the dying minutes of the third quarter.
It was the story of two great programs at two different stages of the success cycle. Texas was in its first Elite Eight since 2016, while South Carolina was looking to make – and ultimately succeeds – its third Staley-era Final Four. The last two were in 2015 and 2017.
But you hardly needed to know each other’s recent history to understand all of this. The Longhorns were forced to shoot just 23 percent from the field, giving up 15 turnovers and getting blocked 14 times. The Gamecocks, meanwhile, shot 57% in the first half and made a defensive history.
South Carolina will now face Stanford on Friday in the Final Four.
[ad_2]
Source link