South Carolina Gamecocks forward Chloe Kitts provided her usual double-double outing in her team's Sweet 16 victory earlier on Friday. Her contributions helped her first-seeded team in Birmingham Regional 2 topple the fourth-seeded Maryland Terrapins by a tight four points, winning 71-67. The Gamecocks now advance to another Elite Eight appearance in March Madness.
In 32 minutes of action, Kitts put up 15 points on an efficient 6-of-11 overall clip, 11 rebounds, an assist and one block as the reigning national champions now inch closer to their goal of a back-to-back national title berth.
Kitts opened the scoring for the fixture with consecutive lay-ins, as her two-man game with Te-Hina Paopao proved to be unbeatable momentarily. She then followed it up with a couple more rebounds and more made baskets, as the stalwart had a fantastic start overall. But, the Terrapins clawed their way back despite Kitts' red-hot charge, with the Gamecocks leading by just one, 17-16.
Moving forward to the second period, the Dawn Staley-coached team not only wanted to maintain their edge but extend it as well. Kitts subbed back in the 6:39 mark of the frame, with the emphasis on helping her team balloon their advantage. She couldn't find a way to score this time, however, as Maryland then capitalized on this by being ahead by two points, 33-31, to conclude the first half.
It seems as though Kitts lost her footing to open the third quarter; she turned the ball over a lowly four consecutive times. Luckily for her, the Gamecocks kept the fight in the now back-and-forth fixture, through which the junior was subbed out at the 1:23 mark for the rest of the period. Still, the defending national champions showed might, uncorking a two-point edge, 52-50, heading into the final frame.
With 10 minutes left in the hotly-contested game and the chance to advance to the NCAA Elite Eight, Kitts and Co. pulled out all the stops with the third-year player finding ways to score again and continue her excellent rebounding. It was a fixture that went down the wire, as Kitts and her team elected to play the free throw game. Fortunately, the Gamecocks won, 71-67, to keep their run alive.
Here are Chloe Kitts' stats for the win on Friday.
Chloe Kitts posts her second straight double-double of the 2025 national tournament
The double-double performance Chloe Kitts put up in her Sweet 16 matchup directly follows up her outing from the second round of this year's March Madness. On Sunday, Mar. 23, the Oviedo, Florida native tallied 10 markers and 11 boards, along with three assists and a steal in her team's 64-53 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers.
For their Elite Eight matchup, the South Carolina Gamecocks will be pitted against the second-seeded Duke Blue Devils on Sunday, March 30, in the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. Chloe Kitts is averaging 10.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.1 dimes per contest.
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