CLEVELAND — South Carolina’s MiLaysia Fulwiley was the first player to snip the Gamecocks’ championship net for no other reason than her age. As the youngest player on South Carolina’s roster, the 5-foot-10 guard opened the festivities. She compared starting off a net-cutting ceremony to being forced to sit in the backseat of a car.
The anticipated 2024 national championship between South Carolina and Iowa got off to a turbulent start for the Gamecocks. The Hawkeyes sprinted out to a 12-2 lead, and led 20-9 with 4:45 to play in the first quarter. It was then that coach Dawn Staley decided to shake up the seating arrangement. Right away, Fulwiley entered the contest and found reserve forward Sania Feagin for a lay-up. “You can tell early when she’s locked in and focused,” assistant coach Winston Gandy said. Gandy knew after only one offensive and defensive possession, “Lay’s gonna have a good one.”
Fulwiley scored 7 points in the first quarter to slash the Gamecocks’ deficit to seven and help them settle. Guard Tessa Johnson, a fellow freshman, provided a key lift, too. In South Carolina’s 87-75 win over Iowa, Johnson made 7 of 11 shots and finished with a team-high 19 points. It was only the third time she led the Gamecocks in scoring this season. “I…
