South Carolina basketball: Dawn Staley, Lady Gamecocks back in the Final Four

South Carolina basketball is headed back to the Final 4.

The South Carolina women’s basketball team stayed atop the national rankings for the entire 2020 season, posting an unprecedented 32-1 final record, going undefeated in SEC play, winning a conference title, and earning the top seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Unfortunately, that season ended prematurely, as COVID prevented the Gamecocks from landing their second national championship in four seasons. After losing two top 10 picks from that 2020 roster, many doubted whether Dawn Staley could get the South Carolina program back to the pinnacle of the sport with a mostly young and unproven group.

Tuesday night, she proved the doubters wrong with a 62-34 beatdown of the Texas Longhorns, taking down longtime SEC foe Vic Schaeffer, who had previously led Mississippi State to two national title appearances.

After taking down Mercer, Oregon State, and Georgia Tech in consecutive matchups, the Gamecocks used a fantastic defensive performance to stymie the Longhorns. South Carolina held Texas to a season low 34 points, including pitching a shutout in the final quarter.

South Carolina jumped out to big lead early, closing the first quarter with an 18-7 advantage. They wouldn’t let up, outscoring the Longhorns in every period on their way to an easy victory.

Sophomore guard Zia Cooke led all scorers with 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting, and was one of five Gamecocks to notch double figures.

With the win, the Gamecocks are back in the Final Four for the first time since winning it all in 2017, and for the third time under coach Staley. They’ll face off against Stanford on Friday with a national championship appearance on the line.