ALBANY, N.Y. — Just 2 minutes, 30 seconds into the third quarter of Friday’s Sweet 16 game, South Carolina looked like it was embarking on another women’s NCAA tournament runaway. The Gamecocks had built a 22-point lead on an Indiana team that seemed to be barely hanging on.
But the Hoosiers had plenty left. They rallied and ended up giving South Carolina a scare similar to what Tennessee did to the Gamecocks in the SEC tournament semifinals when the Lady Vols erased a 23-point deficit.
Indiana outscored South Carolina by 13 points in the second half and got the deficit down to two with 1:08 to play. Raven Johnson made a 3-pointer and a free throw in the final minute that was just enough for the Gamecocks to win 79-75, remain undefeated and move to the Elite Eight for the fourth consecutive year.
But did the disappearance of another big lead leave more questions than answers for the Gamecocks?
Andrea Adelson, Charlie Creme and Michael Voepel examine what the future might now hold for South Carolina, the No. 1 overall seed.
South Carolina is moving on, but the game wasn’t decided until the final minute. What vulnerabilities did Indiana help expose Friday?
Adelson: In her postgame comments, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley mentioned that she still has a…
