For weeks, South Carolina and head coach Dawn Staley have grappled with questions about their offense and whether a wicked defense might be enough to win a second national championship.
For one night at least, the Gamecocks made the critics look ridiculous. The No. 1 overall seed scored 23 points in each of the first two quarters and rode to an 80-50 victory over No. 10 seed Creighton to win the Greensboro region and advance to the Final Four.
South Carolina (33-2) held the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press poll all season and is looking for redemption after a heartbreaking end to the 2021 tournament. The Gamecocks lost to eventual champion Stanford when, despite several chances, they failed to get the winning basket in the basket.
They will play the Wichita-area No. 1 Louisville and No. 3 Michigan winner on Friday at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
Offense comes alive
Aliyah Boston scored 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting and added seven rebounds. Game in hand, she came on the bench late in the fourth to extend her SEC record of 27 double-doubles. Victaria Saxton had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds as Creighton struggled with South Carolina’s size.
The Gamecocks scored 42 points in the paint, a calling card for this big and deep roster.
Guard Destanni Henderson was the hot hand, scoring a perfect 3-of-3 early in the first quarter, including a 3-pointer. She had 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting with three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
It was the first game of the tournament in which South Carolina as a team was better than 40% from the field. They shot 51.9% compared to games against No. 16 Howard (35.4%), No. 8 Miami (29.5%) and No. 5 North Carolina (33.3%). They’ve shot at least 50% in just five games this season.
As expected, the defense was spectacular. They held Creighton to 50 points, right at the Gamecocks’ defensive average, and just seven 3-pointers, three below the Bluejays’ average. They were 7 of 21. Creighton shot 36.4% overall and made only one of her free throws in five attempts. South Carolina dominated the boards, 43-23, and had five blocks.
The story goes on
Creighton pulled off big surprises to make the program’s first Elite Eight and represent talent in the Big East this season. The Bluejays defeated No. 7 seed Colorado, No. 2 Iowa, and No. 3 Iowa State. Iowa was a popular No. 2, winning the entire tournament with highlight showcase guard Caitlin Clark.
But taking out a star guard and forward duo isn’t the same as taking out a team like South Carolina, which relies heavily on defense with more top-down talent.
Greensboro All Region Teams
The Greensboro All-Regional Team was announced after South Carolina’s win. Boston, a 6-foot-5 center, was named the most outstanding player, averaging 16.8 points and 14.3 rebounds per game in the tournament so far. She had 28 and 22 respectively in the Sweet 16 win over North Carolina.
Henderson was also named to the South Carolina team. The 5-foot-7 guard recovered from rough play in the first two rounds and averaged 12.5 points over the two games in Greensboro.
Creighton guard Lauren Jensen, who had a team-high 12 points against South Carolina, was named to the all-region team. Emily Ryan from Iowa State and Deja Kelly from North Carolina filled in the five.
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 27: The South Carolina Gamecocks react against the Creighton Bluejays during the second half of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Elite Eight Round on March 27, 2022 at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Sarah Bull/Getty Images)