Here are five things to know about South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley.
South Carolina is still on track for a repeat championship.
The No. 1-seeded Gamecocks on Friday took care of business, handling fellow No. 1 Texas 74-57 in the Final Four after the Longhorns failed to keep pace on offense in the second half.
Texas jumped out to a 12-4 start thanks to four different scorers, with Madison Booker leading the way. However, Booker picked up two fouls early and had to sit, coinciding with South Carolina's push back. Texas led 19-18 after one, but it was South Carolina's bench (Joyce Edwards, MiLaysia Fulwiley) that made the early difference.
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WATCH HERESouth Carolina then took the lead and led by as much as five late in the second after Booker picked up her third foul at a crucial point. The Gamecocks led 38-35 at the half and did so with their streak of 103 straight games won when up at the interval, last losing in the scenario in March 2022.
Te-Hina Paopao led the Gamecocks with eight points, making all three of her attempts with two from deep. Edwards also had eight off the bench, with Fulwiley adding seven. Booker only managed one point in the second from a free throw, but it was freshman guard Jordan Lee who stood out off the bench.
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SIGN UP The Stockton, Calif., native led the Longhorns with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. She entered the game averaging 5.6 on 40% shooting in 19.6 minutes per game, but proved imperative at the break.
South Carolina extended its lead to 14 after three, leading 58-44. Edwards hit 12 points while Paopao stayed flawless with 11 on four makes. Lee only added three to her total for Texas with Booker at 11. No other Longhorn reached double figures or was close.
The Gamecocks once again outscored the Longhorns 16-13 in the fourth, with Texas struggling to find the basket in the last two quarters.
Paopao, who is a top prospect to watch in the upcoming WNBA draft, led the Gamecocks in scoring with 14 points, missing one shot on 5 of 6 shooting. She added three rebounds, two steals and a steal.
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Edwards finished with 13, but missed her last few shots down the stretch and ended up 4 of 11 overall. Fulwiley didn't score again after hitting seven points, while Tessa Johnson came up big with nine bench points. Bree Hall was the only other start besides Paopao to eclipse double figures (11).
It was a different story for the Longhorns, who had only two double-digit scorers. Lee led the way with 16 on 6 of 12 shooting, including a 3 of 7 3-point clip. Booker stayed at 11 on 5 of 11 shooting. The next closest Longhorn to double figures was Rori Harmon (eight), but she shot 4 of 12 from the field.
Another key difference came down to 3-point shooting. Texas hadn't been known for its distance shooting entering the game, but went 4 of 10, carried by Lee's rate. No Texas starter made a three, and only one attempted one (Booker).
On the other hand, South Carolina had low volume but met it with great efficiency, going 7 of 11. Paopao's 3 of 4 mark led the way, with the Gamecocks also shooting 50.9% overall against Texas' defense. The Longhorns went just 39.3% from the floor.
South Carolina will meet the winner between No. 1 UCLA and No. 2 UConn later on Friday. The championship game is set for Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, 12 p.m. PT.
The Gamecocks under Staley have won three championships: 2017, 2022 and 2024. Last season, they beat Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes 87-75.
With Clark being beaten, this year's final could feature a matchup against either Huskies star Paige Bueckers, the expected No. 1 WNBA pick, or Bruins center Lauren Betts.
