CLEVELAND — South Carolina is 40 minutes from redemption — and perfection.
After losing its undefeated season and back-to-back title hopes in last year’s Final Four, the top-ranked Gamecocks returned to Friday’s national semifinals with a resounding statement, snuffing out N.C. State’s unlikely run with a 78-59 win at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
No. 1 South Carolina (37-0) — which will play No. 1 Iowa — is now one win from completing the sport’s first undefeated season in seven years, which would give Dawn Staley her third national title with the Gamecocks.
“I think it’s [her] best team yet,” N.C. State coach Wes Moore said.
Led by 6-foot-7 star center Kamilla Cardoso (22 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks), South Carolina owned the interior — holding a 44-20 edge in points in the paint — with Ashlyn Watkins adding eight points and 20 rebounds.
Cardoso, who recently declared for the WNBA Draft, shot 10-for-12 from the field, helping the Gamecocks to stretch a 1-point halftime lead as large as 25.
“You play to your strengths and Kamilla is a strength of ours,” Staley said. “She’s agile. She can command the paint. She plays with a desire to win … It’s a, ‘I don’t want to lose [mentality], I don’t want our season to end in any way, except the way I envisioned, and that’s winning the national championship.’ And when you can put your play behind your vision, it makes a beautiful memory.”
No. 3 N.C. State (31-7) — the self-proclaimed Final Four “party crashers” — held an early lead, with Aziaha James (20 points) hitting from deep.
Just before the end of the second quarter, the upset seemed within reach, as Cardoso hit the floor, hobbled off the court and went to the locker room, where she would remain through halftime.
Then, Cardoso returned, bringing the team’s title hopes back, too.
“She’s not going to like this answer, but she’s a beautiful Brazilian warrior,” said teammate Te-Hina Paopao. “She’s just awesome. She’s going to play through some pain. That’s who she is.”
When Cardoso came back, Goliath morphed into Godzilla, demolishing the Wolfpack’s dream with a 29-6 edge in the third quarter.
“I feel like we wanted it more,” Watkins said. “Our locker room talk [at halftime], we wanted it. I could tell by our faces and voices, we wanted it more.”
Now, the nation’s best team may be remembered as such.
“Experiencing what did happen last year, we do not want to feel that feeling again,” South Carolina’s Raven Johnson said. “We’re taking a different look this year. We know what it takes. We know what to do. You can’t take a team for granted here.”