BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WNCN/AP) — The No. 2 Duke women went on a 14-6 run to open the third quarter against No. 1 South Carolina, but the Gamecocks rallied in the fourth quarter Sunday afternoon to beat the Blue Devils and advance to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.
The Blue Devils surged late in the second quarter of the Elite Eight match to finish just 4 down at halftime before tearing open a second-half lead that they held throughout the third quarter.
But, defending champions South Carolina slowly rallied and chipped away at the Duke lead.
Duke managed to tie late in the fourth quarter, but the Gamecocks held them off to win 54-50 in an exceptionally close game.
Chloe Kitts scored 14 points as South Carolina reached the Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament for a fifth straight year.
The top-seeded Gamecocks are two wins away from becoming the first team to repeat as champions since UConn won four straight from 2013-16.
South Carolina will play the winner of the Texas-TCU game that takes place Monday night.
The Final Four is in Tampa, Florida, on Friday night.
Second-seeded Duke was looking to get to its first national semifinals since 2006. That team lost in overtime to Maryland in the title game. The Blue Devils women were also looking to join the men’s program in the Final Four.