No. 1 South Carolina basketball beats Maryland, advances to 2023 Final Four vs. Iowa
The No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team plays the No. 2 Maryland Terrapins at 7 p.m. Monday in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
The State’s Jeremiah Holloway and Chapel Fowler are there to bring you live updates as the undefeated Gamecocks, who won the 2022 national championship over UConn, seek a third-straight Final Four berth.
The winner of South Carolina-Maryland will play Iowa in the Final Four on Friday at American Airlines Arena in Dallas (game time TBD).
Iowa, a No. 2 seed, beat No. 5 Louisville 97-83 on Sunday behind a 41-point triple-double from star junior guard Caitlin Clark.
Women’s basketball score right now
South Carolina advances to Final Four
It’s official: USC is off to the 2023 Final Four.
The reigning national champion Gamecocks beat Maryland 86-75 in Monday’s Elite Eight game at Bon Secours Wellness Arena to advance to their third consecutive Final Four and fifth in the past eight NCAA Tournaments under coach Dawn Staley.
USC, the No. 1 overall seed in the bracket, will advance to Dallas as the Greenville Region 1 champion and play No. 2 Iowa, the Seattle Region 4 champion, on Friday March 31. No. 3 LSU will play either No. 1 Virginia Tech or No. 3 Ohio State in Friday’s second game. The title game is Sunday, April 2.
Forward Aliyah Boston had a team-high 22 points along with 10 rebounds and five assists. Guard Zia Cooke (18 points) and forward Brea Beal (16 points) also scored in double figures as the Gamecocks (36-0) took control of a game that featured two ties and five lead changes.
Maryland led by as many as six points in the first quarter (USC’s largest deficit all tournament) and only trailed by eight points (38-30) at halftime. But South Carolina dominated most of the second half, leading by as many as 19 points in the fourth quarter before emptying its bench and winning by 11.
USC was +22 in the rebounding margin and also shot 6-15 on threes to set new 2023 NCAA Tournament highs for 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage (40.0%) as its winning streak stretched to 42 straight games.
Guard Diamond Miller had a game-high 24 points for Maryland (28-7), the No. 2 seed in the Greenville Region 1 portion of the bracket.
The Terrapins were in foul trouble most of the night. Miller and guard Shyanne Sellers (11 points) had four fouls apiece, and guard Abby Meyers (14 points) only played seven second-half minutes (with no points) before fouling out.
South Carolina pulling away after 3
South Carolina leads Maryland 62-50 after three quarters and is 10 minutes away from advancing to a third consecutive Final Four.
Forward Aliyah Boston and guard Zia Cooke, USC’s top two scorers, are doing their thing with 18 points apiece. Backup point guard Raven Johnson has also been impressive; she has seven points and two assists and a +11 plus-minus (fourth best on the team and best among reserves).
Bon Secours Wellness Arena hit a new level of volume when forward Kamilla Cardoso converted a spinning layup at the 1:46 mark to put South Carolina up 60-45. That 15-point lead was a new high for the game.
Maryland’s offense took a huge hit when guard Abby Meyers picked up her third and fourth personal fouls of the game within a minute early in the quarter. Maryland guards Diamond Miller and Shyanne Sellers also have three fouls apiece.
The Terrapins did hit back-to-back 3-pointers at the end of the quarter to go from trailing 60-45 to 62-50 — a bit of life after USC’s most complete 10 minutes of the night.
USC takes halftime lead
South Carolina’s up 38-30 on Maryland at halftime.
That was a resounding second quarter response by the Gamecocks, who were facing their largest deficit of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. They outscored Maryland 23-9, led by as many as 10 points and got an excellent 10 minutes from guard Zia Cooke (nine points, 4-5 shooting).
USC also had one turnover the entire quarter while shooting 7-14 from the field. South Carolina’s up to five blocks and three steals, too, with senior forward Brea Beal recording two apiece.
Two top Maryland players, guards Diamond Miller and Shyanne Sellers, have been limited thanks to foul trouble. Terrapins guard Abby Meyers continues to lead the charge with a game-high 14 points on 6-12 shooting.
Forward Aliyah Boston has a team-high 12 for USC.
Maryland up on USC after first quarter
Maryland leads South Carolina 21-15 after one quarter.
The Terrapins came out firing and physical, pressing South Carolina at halfcourt and attacking the basket with a purpose. Maryland trailed by six points early (13-7) but promptly went on a 12-0 run to give USC its largest 2023 NCAA Tournament deficit to date (six points).
Guard Abby Meyers (seven points) and Diamond Miller (five) are leading the Terrapins in scoring. South Carolina’s main issue: plain bad shooting. The Gamecocks are 6-18 from the field and have missed a number of point-blank layups. They also have five turnovers against Maryland’s press.
USC, as per usual, does maintain an advantage in rebounding and offensive rebounding margin. Forward Aliyah Boston has a team-high six points.
South Carolina vs. Maryland game info
Who: No. 1 South Carolina (35-0) vs. No. 2 Maryland (28-6)
Where: Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville
When: 7 p.m. Monday
TV: ESPN
Stream: Via ESPN or the ESPN app
Next up: The winner of South Carolina-Maryland will advance to a Final Four game against No. 2 Iowa on Friday, March 31 at American Airlines Arena in Dallas.
