South Carolina's Te-Hina Paopao expresses gratitude for Kamilla Cardoso's contributions against Tennessee: "She's a dog"

Former South Carolina Gamecocks star, Kamilla Cardoso led her team to the national championship in 2024 and a few weeks later was selected No. 3 overall in the WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky. But the season was not always smooth sailing for the center and her team.

There was a perilous game in the SEC (Southeastern Conference) tournament semifinal game against the Tennessee Volunteers.

The Gamecocks trailed 73-71 to the Volunteers in the closing stages of the game before Cardoso attempted and scored her first-ever career three-pointer to win the game for Dawn Staley's side propelling them to the finals against Angel Reese's LSU Tigers.

In South Carolina's new documentary "Love the Game," Cardoso's former Gamecocks teammate Te-Hina Paopao gushed about that moment from the Chicago Sky rookie.

"For her (Cardoso) to do what she did in that first Tennessee game, meant a lot because it felt like we were gonna lose considering how close the game was towards the end. She did so much for us and she's just a dog, the only way to explain it," Paopao said.

Kamilla Cardoso bails out South Carolina

If ever there was a game that was fraught with danger for Kamilla Cardoso and the South Carolina Gamecocks' unbeaten run, it was the clash against the Tennessee Volunteers.

The Lady Vols trailed by 23 points during the game before going on a comeback run, tying the game thrice before taking the lead 73-71 with 24 seconds remaining on the clock.

It was a special game for Cardoso with her mother and sister who had come from Brazil to celebrate Senior Day with her in the crowd.

During her postgame news conference, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley revealed what she shouted at Kamilla Cardoso from the sidelines before she took the shot.

"I knew with the players we had on the floor, pretty much the only person who was going to be open was Kamilla," Staley said. "So I just told Raven [Johnson] to get the ball to Kamilla. And I told Kamila, ‘Hey, pass it to [Te-Hina] Paopao,’ and then at the last second I was like, ‘Kamila, shoot it.’

“I yelled at Kamilla, said, ‘Shoot it.’ I added some more words to that,” Staley said, “but I can’t say it right here.”

That moment from Kamilla Cardoso in the game against the Lady Vols would provide the platform for the South Carolina Gamecocks to finish the season unbeaten with a national championship to boot.