ALBANY, N.Y. — Coach Dawn Staley and her staff had a group hug on the sideline as the final seconds ticked away Sunday and her South Carolina Gamecocks got ready to celebrate what has become a tradition for them.
For the fourth year in a row, South Carolina is in the women’s Final Four. And for the second consecutive season, the Gamecocks go into the last weekend of the basketball season undefeated.
South Carolina, the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA women’s tournament, defeated No. 3 seed Oregon State 70-58 in the Albany 1 Regional final. The Gamecocks are 36-0 and head to Cleveland hoping to win the program’s third national championship.
The Gamecocks, who previously won the NCAA title in 2017 and 2022, were big favorites to win it all last season, too, but were upset in the national semifinals by Iowa. Sunday, the halftime score was a little too close for comfort, with South Carolina leading just 37-33 after struggling from behind the 3-point line (2-12) in the first half.
But South Carolina’s depth has been one of its best assets, and that helped…
