South Carolina defeats the Wolfpack 78-59 to head to the National Championship

By Gianna Forbis, WRAL Sports contributor

The University of South Carolina Gamecocks will make their way to the NCAA Women's National Championship on Sunday after defeating the North Carolina State Wolfpack, 78-59.

It was a game of defense, and the Wolfpack was able to contain a lot of shots early on from Kamilla Cardoso and Raven Johnson. After the second half began, the Gamecocks began to control the scoring, defensiveness and momentum of the game as a whole.

Dominant Defense

While the Wolfpack were able to pressure and contain dominant players for the Gamecocks like Cardoso and Johnson in the first half, the second half showed the Wolfpack's struggles in pressuring the team as a whole.

South Carolina's defense came away with 34 defensive rebounds against the Wolfpack and 12 of their own offensive rebounds to keep the ball on their side.

With six huge blocks from Cardoso, Ashlyn Watkins and Bree Hall, it was almost impossible for the Wolfpack to get up and make a shot without a Gamecock ready to defend.

South Carolina knew early on who was needing to be contained the most, and scoring points off of turnovers set them apart in this game. The Gamecocks scored 14 points off of the Wolfpack's turnovers – setting them up to be in the lead for most of the game.

Wolfpack Scoring

While Azaiha James led the team in scoring for most of the game, finishing with 20 points,it was difficult for other players to get out of the scoring drought when the ball was in their hands.

Wolfpack guard Saniya Rivers put up 5 points total, along with center River Baldwin scoring only 12 and forward Mimi Collins with 7.

As difficult as it was for Baldwin to get to the rim and create some points on the board, it was much more difficult to guard the 6'7' Cardoso.

Cardoso put up 22 points with 10-12 from the field and 11 rebounds both offensively and defensively, and did not get double-teamed at all throughout most of the game. With her long strides and obvious height advantage, Cardoso was able to put points up when it mattered.

Zoe Brooks

While the Wolfpack may have struggled in scoring, it was Zoe Brooks who truly defined herself on the court.

A freshman guard from Plainfield, New Jersey, Brooks put up 12 against the Gamecocks. While that may not seem like it made a huge difference, it was all in the way she controlled her own destiny.

Brooks would not stop fighting until she was able to draw a foul or put the ball in the net to help put points on the board.

What went wrong

South Carolina controlled most of the third and fourth quarter against the Wolfpack, and the defense they showed against N.C. State became a problem for the Wolfpack early in the third quarter.

As much as the Gamecocks' defense showed up, they also had a 21-5 run against N.C. State and controlled the motion of the game on their possessions.

Turnovers were costly, with 12 from N.C. State and 25 from South Carolina. However, the real kicker was in the rebounds. The Gamecocks had 46 rebounds - and 34 were defensive. The Gamecocks controlled most of their own possessions and clock of the game through their defensive strides.

Up Next:

The University of South Carolina will play against Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the NCAA Women's National Championship.

The game tips off on Sunday, April 7, at 3 p.m. in Cleveland, Ohio and can be watched on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.

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Preview

NC State women's basketball has punched their ticket to the Final Four for the second time in program history to play the No. 1 overall seed, South Carolina.

• March Madness: How to watch the women's Final Four and what to watch for in the NCAA Tournament
• Cheer on NC State at one of these Final Four watch parties

When there is a will, there is a way – and the way to the Final Four for NC State started with a 76-66 victory against Texas last weekend.

Aziaha James led the team in scoring with 27 points, going 7 for 9 in three-pointers – setting a new program record since Jan. 30, 2020.

River Baldwin scored 16 points, Saniya Rivers put up five assists, and Zoe Brooks had 10 points. With a plethora of players making baskets and scoring record breaking numbers from beyond the arc, they are coming into Cleveland with a new confidence.

"This is your dream as a player and as a coach. Every year you start the season with this goal in mind and only four teams make it. It [is] amazing. I'm so happy for our players to be able to experience this, and they've worked so hard," says NC State head coach Wes Moore.

The ticket was not always golden, however. The Wolfpack women lost to Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament championship. Since then, NC State has steamrolled their way through March, creating madness against schools like Chattanooga, Kelly Harper's Tennessee, Stanford and Texas.

The Wolfpack knows the team they are up against.

South Carolina is undefeated, and head coach Dawn Staley was voted coach of the year.

"I think this is the best team they've ever had. [Simply because] they have so many people that can score the ball. [They have a ton] of really good shooters," says Moore.

With "Why Not Both?" as the phrase NC State fans are using to describe both men's and women's historical runs to the Final Four, Coach Moore continues to love the excitement and strength in the pack.

It's been crowded and [with] them waiting for us at three o'clock in the morning, [it truly] means a lot to us" says Moore

The Wolfpack tip off against South Carolina in the Final Four on Friday, April 5, at 7 p.m. at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio.