No. 1 South Carolina will play for the national championship. The undefeated (37-0) Gamecocks used a historic third quarter to top No. 3 NC State, walking away with a 78-59 victory on Friday. Nursing a one-point advantage, 32-31 at halftime, with a hobbled Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina looked ripe for the picking. However, they wasted little time taking control in the second half, outscoring NC State 29-6 in the third quarter to take a 61-37 lead into the final stanza. According to
ESPN Stats and Info , the 23-point difference is the largest in any quarter in Final Four history. Meanwhile, South Carolina's 29 points are tied for the most in a quarter in the national semifinals. WE'LL SEE YOU ON CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY FAMS!!! pic.twitter.com/ORIdv3Q8jC The Gamecocks suffered a scare when Cardoso left the game late in the first half following a hard fall on her right knee . South Carolina's leading scorer had 16 points and seven rebounds at the half, and Sania Feagin, the Gamecocks' second-leading scorer in the first half, tallied only four points off the bench. Meanwhile, the rest of the team was 5-of-19 for 12 points. Luckily, Cardoso returned ready for the second half, which may have given South Carolina a much-needed jolt of energy. They'd go on to dominate the Wolfpack in the third quarter en route to a 19-point win. Cardoso finished with a game-high 22 points on 10-of-12
shooting from the field with 11 boards, and guards Raven Johnson and Te-Hina Paopao combined for 23 points (9-of-15) and 11 assists. Likewise, Ashlyn Watkins had a big game for the Gamecocks, recording a career-high 20 rebounds, tying her for third-most in a Final Four game. South Carolina now awaits the winner of No. 1 Iowa vs. No. 3 UConn, who it'll face Sunday at 3 p.m. from the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio, for the national title.