South Carolina-NC State live updates (2024)

No. 1 South Carolina is one game away from perfection.

The Gameco*cks (37-0) turned a close game into a blowout in the second half, pulling away from No. 3 NC State (31-7) for a 78-59 win in the first Final Four semifinal Friday in Cleveland. South Carolina will face the winner of No. 1 Iowa and No. 3 Connecticut in the national championship Sunday.

South Carolina led NC State by just one point at halftime, but outscored it 29-6 in the third quarter. Kamilla Cardoso led the Gameco*cks with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Ashlyn Watkins contributed 20 rebounds off the bench.

Iowa and UConn will meet in the second semifinal, with tipoff expected around 9:30 p.m. ET.

Follow here for live reaction from The Athletic's staff inside the arena in Cleveland.

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For ticket information on the Final Four, click here.

CLEVELAND — This was the way it always had to end: Iowa versus South Carolina. Caitlin Clark’s final chance at a national title against the undefeated Gameco*cks, a rematch of the epic 2023 Final Four clash that catapulted Clark into superstardom.

South Carolina once again enters as the No. 1 overall seed, unbeaten this season and attempting to complete the 10th undefeated campaign in NCAA women’s history. Just like in 2022-23, the Gameco*cks boast the best defensive rating in the country, per Her Hoop Stats, and the Hawkeyes have the best offense. The country’s deepest team faces the national player of the year for all the marbles.

Looking ahead to Sunday’s title game, it’s instructive to think back to last year’s contest. South Carolina took away Clark’s playmaking. The Gameco*cks defenders stayed glued to Iowa’s shooters to avoid giving up a high volume of 3-pointers. That left the middle of the floor open, however, for Clark drives and pick-and-roll with Monika Czinano, and that two-player game could not be stopped. Without a one-on-one defender who could contain Clark, South Carolina ultimately needed to send help, but had already schemed not to.

CLEVELAND — When MiLaysia Fulwiley first arrived on South Carolina’s campus last offseason, the last time she hadn’t started a basketball game was when she was in the seventh grade (playing for the high school varsity team). She didn’t remember what it was like to not have her name called over the PA system in the starting lineup. Couldn’t really recall a time when she had watched the tip from anywhere other than the floor.

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CLEVELAND — Just when you thought this women’s basketball season couldn’t give any more, just when you thought it had drained itself of record on-court performances, all-time viewership numbers and compelling grudge matches, it is giving us an opportunity to witness all three in one game, pitting Iowa against South Carolina in the national championship showdown most fans and every ABC executive wanted.

It had to end this way, right? Great player versus great team. The quest for the perfect ending versus the pursuit of the perfect season. An opportunity for South Carolina to avenge its only loss of the last two seasons. A way to cap a memorable season with a potentially unforgettable finale.

If the Iowa-LSU regional final drew an average of 12.3 million viewers on a Monday night on cable, it boggles the mind to think what the Iowa-South Carolina rematch of last year’s national semifinal could do Sunday on network television. You have Caitlin Clark, Iowa’s transcendent star and expected No. 1 pick of the upcoming WNBA Draft, seeking to go out on top after losing in last season’s title game. And you have South Carolina, with virtually an all-new lineup, seeking to finish what it could not a year ago.

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Te-Hina Paopao on the dominant third quarter:

"Coach told us that was a six-point quarter for them. We were just like shocked because it didn't feel like that. It felt like we were just out there being locked in on offense and defense. And we just played the game we know how to play. At some points we don't know what's going on. We just know we're having fun. And we just love being out there with each other."

Move over here for our live updates from Iowa-Connecticut.

Or, stay here for more reaction from South Carolina's 37th consecutive victory — one that puts it in the national championship game.

For the women's basketball sports viewership nerds:

You now have the team on that side of the draw for the highest viewership.

South Carolina is going back to the national championship.

The top-ranked and undefeated Gameco*cks defeated third-seeded NC State 78-59 in the first Final Four game Friday night. The win sends South Carolina back to the national championship for the second time in three years, after winning it all in 2022.

The Gameco*cks were led by star post player Kamilla Cardoso, who had 22 points and 11 rebounds despite missing the last 1:39 of the first half with an apparent leg injury.

South Carolina led by five before Cardoso went down, but that lead was cut to just one point at halftime. Cardoso returned after halftime and South Carolina took control of the game right away, jumping out to a 10-1 run in the third quarter. South Carolina outscored NC State 29-6 in the third quarter to break the game open.