South Carolina knocks off Stanford.
Wilson helps key run to title game
DALLAS - In the week since South Carolina earned its second trip to the Final Four in three years, junior forward A’ja Wilson has had a message for her teammates.
Savor this, she’d say. Don’t take this experience for granted. And definitely, don’t lose in the semifinal.
The Gamecocks must have listened.
South Carolina rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to beat Stanford, 62-53, Friday night in the first national semifinal behind a 13-point, 19rebound performance from Wilson. South Carolina will play in the national title game Sunday night against either Connecticut or Mississippi State, who played late Friday night.
“This is a really special team. We earned this spot we’re in now,” Wilson said.
Guard Allisha Gray led South Carolina with 18 points.
The Gamecocks advanced to their first championship game after surviving a dreadful second quarter, as they missed seven consecutive shots and watched a twopoint lead turn into a 29-20 deficit by halftime. South Carolina hit just 26% of its shots in the first half.
But South Carolina was ready for a run of its own after halftime, turning up the tempo on offense as the Gamecocks tried to outrun a Stanford team that wanted to be patient. South Carolina also increased its defensive intensity, forcing Stanford into a scoring drought of more than five minutes.
A three-pointer by guard Bianca CuevasMoore with 3:31 remain- ing in the third quarter gave the Gamecocks their first lead of the second half, and South Carolina never trailed again.
“We knew we could utilize our speed to get back in the game,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said.
Wilson grabbed 11 of her 19 rebounds in the second half as she fought through what was a frustrating night offensively. Wilson was frequently double- and triple-teamed by Stanford defenders under the basket.
“She’s come a long way in terms of handling physicality. She didn’t handle the double- and tripleteams well tonight, but she found a way to impact the game,” Staley said.
South Carolina forced 16 turnovers, nine of them in the second half, in a defensive performance that was typical for a Gamecocks team known for its aggression and physicality. That defense will be especially challenged in the title game against either UConn or Mississippi State, as both teams have explosive scorers.