Cardoso, South Carolina drub NC State, advances to women's basketball championship

April 5 (UPI) -- All-American Kamilla Cardoso scored a game-high 22 points and the South Carolina Gamecocks used a 29-point third quarter to clobber North Carolina State in the first of two Final Four matchups Friday in Cleveland.

"It doesn't feel real, but I'm so happy we made it," Gamecocks guard Te-Hina Paopao, who scored 10 points, told reporters. "We got one more game left and I'm really excited for that."

The Gamecocks outshot their foes 50% to 32.3%, held a 46-32 edge in rebounding, and outscored the Wolfpack 44-20 in the paint and 21-6 off fast breaks in the 78-59 triumph at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. They led by as many as 25 points.

"It was not an easy win, although the score may say differently," Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said. "We had to play for 40 minutes to win the basketball game. I'm really proud of them and their effort to get to the Final Four."

The top overall seed in the 2024 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament will test their undefeated (37-0) record Sunday in the national title game against No. 1 Iowa. The Gamecocks will attempt to win their second title in three years.

The Gamecocks and Wolfpack exchanged the lead several times throughout the first quarter and Friday's game was tied 16-16 to start the second. The Gamecocks outscored their foes 16-15 to carry a 32-31 lead into the break.

They then blew the game open in the third, scoring 29 points compared to just six for the Wolfpack. They started that surge with a 10-1 run and ended the frame on a 17-1 surge to carry a 61-37 advantage into the final frame.

Cardoso, who left the game in the second quarter because of an ankle injury, but later returned -- and guard Te-Hina Paopao -- scored six points apiece in the third.

"We wanted it," Gamecocks forward Ashlyn Watkins, who totaled eight points and 20 rebounds, said. "I could tell by our faces. We wanted it more."

The Wolfpack outscored the Gamecocks 22-17 in the fourth, but could not trim their deficit to fewer than 17 points. Cardoso totaled 11 rebounds, in addition to her 22 points. Gamecocks guard Raven Johnson logged 13 points and five assists.

Wolfpack junior guard Aziaha James scored 20 points in the loss.

The Gamecocks will test their undefeated record for the final time when they face Iowa in the national title game at 3 p.m. EDT Sunday in Cleveland. The Hawkeyes beat the No. 3 UConn Huskies 71-69 in Friday's nightcap at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.