No. 1 seed South Carolina is one step closer to winning back-to-back national championships for the first time in NCAA history since UConn's four-peat from 2013-2016.
South Carolina advanced to its 11th consecutive Sweet 16 appearance, the second-longest streak in the nation, but the Gamecocks didn't appear their usual dominant selves and trailed No. 4 Maryland at halftime. South Carolina, however, did just enough to secure a 71-67 win over Maryland to advance to its fifth straight Elite Eight, where they face No. 2 seed Duke in Birmingham, Ala.
"I think anytime you are coming off a national championship, you are the targeted one. Everybody, everybody wants to knock you off your throne," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said Saturday. "We got experience playing in the Elite Eight over the past four, five years ... they are tapping into some of that."
The Gamecocks have depth and defense on their side, ranking first in the nation in bench points per game (41.5) and fifth in blocks per game (5.9). Here's a look at the full Gamecocks women's basketball roster:
South Carolina women's basketball roster
Here's South Carolina roster for the 2024-25 season, including each player's jersey number, their position, grade, height and hometown:
- 0 Te-Hina Paopao G Sr. 5' 9" - Oceanside, CA
- 1 Maddy McDaniel G Fr. 5' 9" - Upper Marlboro, MD
- 2 Ashlyn Watkins F Jr. 6' 3" - Columbia, SC
- 5 Tessa Johnson G Soph. 6' 0" - Albertville, MN
- 8 Joyce Edwards F Fr. 6' 3" - Camden, SC
- 12 MiLaysia Fulwiley G Soph. 5' 10" - Columbia, SC
- 15 Adhel Tac F Fr. 6' 5" - Grand Prairie, TX
- 20 Sania Feagin F Sr. 6' 3" - Ellenwood, GA
- 21 Chloe Kitts F Jr. 6' 2" - Oviedo, FL
- 23 Bree Hall G Sr. 6' 0" - Dayton, OH
- 25 Raven Johnson G Jr. 5' 9" - Atlanta, GA
- 30 Maryam Dauda F Jr. 6' 4" - Bentonville, AR
- 35 Sakima Walker C Sr. 6' 5" - Columbus, OH
No. 8 Joyce Edwards stats
Joyce Edwards is averaging 13.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.1 assist (36 games) in her first season at South Carolina. Edwards was named to the All-SEC Freshman team, in addition to the All-SEC First team. She scored a career-high 28 points against Florida in February, but was limited to five points in the Sweet 16.
No. 12 MiLaysia Fulwiley stats
MiLaysia ...
