Dawn Staley's South Carolina Gamecocks kept their undefeated season going with a 70-58 triumph over the Oregon State Beavers on Sunday, causing the players to dance with joy and shower their coach with colorful confetti.
The Gamecocks poured a packet full of confetti on Staley while she was giving an interview with an ESPN reporter.
"That's our team. They are resilient," Staley said while enjoying the confetti shower. "I mean, they deserve this. They've worked extremely hard to be where they are. I'm super proud of them. I'm giving all glory to God, though. God is really funny; he's really funny."
Dawn Staley, who hit the court in an all-black ensemble, appeared cheerful after the Gamecocks won.
Dawn Staley's Gamecocks showed off their basketball prowess against Oregon State
Bree Hall stepped up to the line and sank a free throw, putting the Gamecocks ahead 3-2 just one minute and 28 seconds into Sunday's game.
From that moment on, top-ranked South Carolina (36-0), which holds the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, maintained its lead for the rest of the game, but it was far from an easy afternoon, as whenever the Gamecocks looked poised to pull away, the Beavers responded.
That trend continued late into the second half. When the Gamecocks pushed their lead to 14 points, at 55-41 with 1:50 left in the third quarter, to their surprise, Oregon State (27-8) responded. The Beavers narrowed the deficit to 62-58 with 3:53 remaining.
But freshman guard Tessa Johnson stopped the Beavers' run, scoring the following five points and seven of the Gamecocks' final eight points.
Johnson finished with a team-high 15 points and three assists. Ashlyn Watkins, Sania Feagin and MiLaysia Fulwiley totaled 38 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks.
"It's all about the players. It's all about the players' commitment," Dawn Staley said, according to CBS Sports. "They all want to win for each other, so they sacrificed some of their personal goals and benefits for the greater good of our team."
The Gamecocks, who won the national title in 2022 and 2017 under Staley, advanced to their fourth consecutive Final Four. They will play NC State, which defeated the Texas Longhorns in another 76-66 Elite Eight showdown. The Wolfpack are a No. 3 seed from their region.
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