Dawn Staley’s No. 1 South Carolina has reached the Final Four of March Madness after a nail-biting victory against No. 2 Duke at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

South Carolina has overcome a huge March Madness scare to reach the Final Four.

Dawn Staley knew Sunday's game would be close

The No. 1 Gamecocks were four points down against No. 2 Duke heading into the final quarter on Sunday but outscored their opponents by eight points late on to win 54-50 at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham. Chloe Kitts top scored for South Carolina with 14 points, including two crucial free throws made in the dying seconds of the game.

Sania Feagin also played well – putting up 12 points, eight rebounds, and three assists – while Te-Hina Paopao finished with nine points to her name. Duke’s Toby Fournier delivered 18 points and six rebounds – with her teammate Ashlon Jackson adding 13 points – but their efforts weren’t enough to stop the Gamecocks from storming into the semifinals.

South Carolina’s head coach Dawn Staley gave her players a clear message before the game – just get over the line. ESPN’s Kris Budden asked Staley what the Gamecocks – the reigning national championships – needed to do to make a fifth consecutive Final Four appearance. The coach replied: “Score one more point than they do.”

When Budden suggested Staley made winning sound “easy,” the latter replied: “It’s not easy at all! This is the hardest game, so I hope both teams bring their habits to this game and we get women’s basketball what it so deserves – a great product.”

As the No. 1 seed, the Gamecocks were expected to win on Sunday. They made a blistering start to the game, storming into a 10-2 lead before the first timeout. The Blue Devils rallied before halftime, but South Carolina still boasted a 26-22 lead at the interval.

South Carolina edged out Duke

But Duke turned the game on its head in the third quarter, outscoring Staley’s players by eight points and leading by six points at one stage. But the Gamecocks regained control of the contest in the fourth quarter to punch their ticket to the Final Four.

South Carolina will now face the winners of No. 2 TCU’s game with No. 1 Texas, which takes place on Monday. The other Final Four clash will be contested by No. 3 LSU or No. 1 UCLA and No. 2 UConn or No. 1 USC. Both semifinals are slated for Friday, April 4 in Tampa, Florida. The national championship game, also in Tampa, will take place on Sunday, April 6.

Staley has already achieved huge success with South Carolina, leading the program to a national championship in 2017, 2022, and 2024. The Gamecocks defeated Caitlin Clark’s Iowa by 12 points in last year’s final, held in Cleveland, Ohio.