South Carolina Powers to a Third Straight Final Four. Virginia Tech Makes Its First.

GREENVILLE, S.C. — The script has grow to be routine for South Carolina on this yr’s N.C.A.A. ladies’s basketball match. In the primary half, South Carolina, the reigning champion, usually appears surprisingly weak, maybe on the verge of its first loss this season, primed to be on the improper aspect of a monumental upset in a March that has been crammed with them.

But within the second half, the Gamecocks put on groups down, and remind everybody why they’re the highest seed and an odds-on favourite to repeat as champions.

The Gamecocks adopted that path once more on Monday evening in entrance of a raucous crowd as they beat second-seeded Maryland, 86-75, to advance to their third straight Final Four. Aliyah Boston led the Gamecocks with 22 factors, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, recording her ninth double-double in an N.C.A.A. match.

On Friday in Dallas, South Carolina will play No. 2 seed Iowa, which is led by the scoring and passing phenom Caitlin Clark. In the opposite semifinal, Louisiana State will face Virginia Tech, which beat Ohio State on Monday evening for the primary Final Four berth in program historical past.

“I know what it feels like to lose,” South Carolina guard Brea Beal mentioned. “I know what it feels like to be sent home. So I mean, every game that we played this season, we played, you know, with that feeling on our mind, on our chest and really going into any game we play. We don’t want that.”

The South Carolina gamers gathered at midcourt and dumped a Powerade cooler crammed with confetti on Coach Dawn Staley. Each participant, coach and assistant coach reduce down items of the online, leaving most of it for Staley, who climbed the ladder final and positioned the rest of the online round her neck. She turned to either side of the group slowly, because the followers roared like she was a rock star at a live performance.

“I just like to acknowledge our fans, you know, if they wanted to take a picture from way in the stands,” Staley mentioned.

Many of South Carolina’s opponents deploy a zone protection, with their guards sagging beneath the free-throw line to assist defend its large forwards. Maryland, nevertheless, opted for a totally different strategy.

The Terrapins used a full-court press, which at first appeared like a poor determination however shortly helped Maryland to power errant passes and rush South Carolina’s offense. Maryland led by 6 after the primary quarter, with South Carolina and Staley wanting pissed off and in contrast to the dominant workforce that they had been all yr.

But South Carolina’s physicality bought Maryland’s stars into foul bother. Diamond Miller and the sturdy level guard Shyanne Sellers sat on the bench for a lot of the first half with two fouls. While these two had been out of the sport, Maryland dropped again into a zone protection, and South Carolina bought extra snug. Zia Cooke erupted for 9 factors within the second quarter, and South Carolina had turned the sport round to lead by 8 at halftime.

The problem with stopping South Carolina, as Maryland discovered on Monday, is its depth. Most championship groups play their stars for almost your entire recreation at this level of the season, utilizing reserves primarily to spell starters who get into foul bother.

But South Carolina usually swaps virtually its whole beginning lineup with gamers who’re almost pretty much as good and who additionally usually have a measurement benefit over their opponents. Take, for instance, Kamilla Cardoso, a 6-foot-7 middle who was the Atlantic Coast Conference freshman of the yr at Syracuse earlier than transferring to South Carolina two seasons in the past and has a reserve position for the Gamecocks.

“The waves that they just send at you from the bench and they wear you out with that physicality and with their size,” Maryland Coach Brenda Frese mentioned. She added: “Clearly you saw that impacted us with our foul trouble.”

Cardoso ensures that there isn’t a lot of a drop-off from Boston defensively, and when they’re within the recreation on the identical time, it’s often a block celebration.

Raven Johnson, a second-year guard who was the No. 2 participant in her highschool class, equally comes off the bench behind guards Cooke and Kierra Fletcher.

“Anyone on our bench could start on any top team,” Boston mentioned after the workforce’s round-of-16 win over U.C.L.A. “But you know everybody decided to come to play for Coach Staley under this program, and we use it to our advantage.”

That depth was the distinction on Monday. Miller and Boston are projected to be the highest two picks on this yr’s W.N.B.A. draft, however Miller’s supporting solid pales compared. Miller tried to ignite her workforce with aggressive drives and protection, however couldn’t shut the deficit. She led all scorers with 24 factors, in possible her final recreation at Maryland.

Virginia Tech claimed the final spot within the ladies’s Final Four, overpowering Ohio State, 84-74, on Monday evening in Seattle behind the taking pictures of Georgia Amoore and the within presence of Elizabeth Kitley. The Hokies be a part of Iowa, South Carolina and Louisiana State in Dallas.

Virginia Tech has been an underdog of types, regardless of its No. 1 seeding, having by no means superior this far within the match. Its round-of-8 opponent, the Buckeyes, took down UConn in commanding style to attain this recreation, changing into the primary workforce to deny the Huskies a journey to the Final Four since 2007.

Virginia Tech had led at each level within the match till Ohio State took a lead late within the first quarter. Ahead of the sport, Ohio State Coach Kevin McGuff mentioned he knew his workforce would have its palms full defensively. His sentiment proved proper; when Virginia Tech retook the lead, it didn’t let go.

The recreation may have gone down very otherwise, although. Early within the second quarter, Amoore, Virginia Tech’s star guard, fell to the court docket after a hit beneath the basket and walked off gingerly. She left the ground for a few moments earlier than returning to play. Fans held their breath, figuring out that she has been referred to as the engine of the workforce. She returned after a quick break, signaling she was good to play. Amoore completed with 24 factors, whereas Kitley had 25 factors and 12 rebounds.

“She is why we’re here,” Virginia Tech Coach Kenny Brooks mentioned in an ESPN interview earlier than the beginning of the fourth quarter.

Ahead of the sport, Virginia Tech gamers had been requested how they had been approaching this chance. They mentioned all of their accomplishments have been a “first” for them. Their first spherical of 8. Their first Final Four. And, they hope, a first title if they will string collectively two extra wins.

“We didn’t come this far to just make it this far,” Cayla King mentioned forward of the sport. She helped be certain that with 12 factors, 4 rebounds and a pair of assists.

Virginia Tech will face No. 3-seeded L.S.U. in a nationwide semifinal on Friday evening.

Kris Rhim reported from Greenville, S.C.; Talya Minsberg reported from New York.