Skip to main content

South Carolina vs. Duke women's basketball score: Gamecocks escape to reach Final Four

Rachel G Bowers   Paste BN
play
Show Caption

Editor’s note: Follow South Carolina vs. Texas live updates from the Final Four.

The South Carolina women's basketball team escaped a back-and-forth battle with No. 2 Duke in the Elite Eight on Sunday to advance to the Final Four for the fifth consecutive season.

The defending national champions, who won 54-50, were led by Chloe Kitts (14 points), Sania Feagin (12) and Te-Hina Paopao (9). Duke freshman Toby Fournier powered by Blue Devils with 18 points and guard Ashlon Jackson added 13. 

Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks have been pushed hard this NCAA Tournament. Their second-round, Sweet 16 and Elite Eight wins were all gritty, scrappy and close.

Paste BN Sports brought you live updates, scores, highlights and analysis throughout the game.

Who does South Carolina women's basketball play next in Final Four?

The Gamecocks will face the winner of No. 1 Texas vs. No. 2 TCU. Hailey Van Lith and the Horned Frogs play the Longhorns on Monday at 7 p.m. ET.

South Carolina vs. Duke stats

Both teams made 19 buckets in the game, but shot well below their marks for the season. The Blue Devils were 31.7% from the floor, compared to 44.4% for the year, and the Gamecocks were 43.2% in the matchup, compared to 49.2% on the year.

Both teams also turned the ball over at a higher-than-average rate. The Blue Devils had 19 — they average 14.8 a game — and the Gamecocks had 16 — they average 13.0 per game.

Toby Fournier stats

Freshman Toby Fournier, off the bench, finished with 18 points on 8-of-17 shooting to go along with 6 boards and 3 blocks.

Ashlon Jackson ties single-season 3-point record

Duke guard Ashlon Jackson hit a 3 with less than a minute left in the third quarter to give Duke a 41-36 lead. That bucket pulled her even with the program's single-season record for 3-pointers (87). She finished with 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting.

Chloe Kitts stats

Chloe Kitts finished with 14 points, shooting 3-of-8 from the floor, and 4 rebounds. This season, Kitts is averaging a career-high 10.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Kitts registered back-to-back double-doubles in the second round and Sweet 16. Her career-high is 25 points, which she dropped on Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament. — Cydney Henderson

Dawn Staley on what South Carolina needed to improve

"We gotta get the lose balls," Staley said during an interview on the broadcast after the third quarter. "The game is going to be won on those broken plays. We're not doing a good job at getting those 50/50 balls. ... It takes all of us, but it's hard. iIt's hard. This game is hard. So we gotta bear down."

South Carolina vs. Duke score in 3Q

The Blue Devils held a 42-38 lead over the Gamecocks at the end of the third quarter. Ashlon Jackson leads Duke with 13 points so far.

MiLaysia Fulwiley stats

Guard MiLaysia Fulwiley came off the bench, as she has for the majority of the season, and scored 5 points on 2-of-6 shooting.

South Carolina vs. Duke score at halftime

South Carolina held a 26-22 lead at halftime. Duke went on a 9-0 run late in the second quarter, powered by freshman Tony Fournier and junior Ashlon Jackson.

Gamecocks guard Raven Johnson opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer, her first points of the game. Chloe Kitts and Sania Feagin were active in the first half, combing for 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting. Joyce Edwards added 4 points, and MiLaysia Fulwiley and Bree Hall chipped in 3 apiece.

South Carolina vs. Duke score in 1Q

The Gamecocks held a 16-10 lead after the opening quarter. Duke shot just 25% from the floor in the period, a tough start after the Blue Devils struggled in the Sweet 16 against North Carolina. South Carolina, meanwhile, hit 55.6% of its shots to open the game.

South Carolina's Chloe Kitts had 5 points in the frame, Sania Feagin had 4, and MiLaysia Fulwiley had 3.

Duke freshman Toby Fournier had 7 of the Blue Devils' 10 first-quarter points.

South Carolina women's basketball roster

The Gamecocks have depth and defense on their side, ranking first in the nation in bench points per game (41.5) and fifth in blocks per game (5.9). Here's a look at the full South Carolina women's basketball roster.

South Carolina women's basketball coach

Dawn Staley has led the Gamecocks since 2008. She's won three national titles — 2017, 2022, 2024 — and made six Final Fours. She has a 473-109 (.813) record at South Carolina.

Dawn Staley, Kara Lawson meet pregame

South Carolina vs. Duke starters

  • Duke: Ashlon Jackson, Delaney Thomas, Jadyn Donovan, Taina Mair, Reigan Richardson
  • South Carolina: Chloe Kitts, Sania Feagin, Bree Hall, Raven Johnson, Te-Hina Paopao

Duke women's basketball roster

Freshman forward Toby Fournier leads the Blue Devils in scoring with 13.1 points per game, to go along with 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. Guards Ashlon Jackson (12.4), Oluchi Okananwa (10.2) and Reigan Richardson (9.8) are key contributors. Okananwa came up big for Duke in its second-round win over UNC, posting a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds. Here is the full Duke women's basketball roster.

Elite 8 women's basketball 2025 teams

Here's who made the Elite Eight.

  • No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 2 Duke, Sunday, 1 p.m. on ABC
  • No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 3 LSU, Sunday, 3 p.m. on ABC
  • No. 1 Texas vs. No. 2 TCU, Monday, 7 p.m. on ESPN
  • No. 2 UConn vs. USC, Monday, 9 p.m. on ESPN

Why Dawn Staley is women's college basketball's giant

We asked 7 players and coaches in women's college basketball about how Dawn Staley has impacted the game and turned South Carolina into one of the iconic programs in history.

South Carolina vs. Duke women's basketball predictions

How Duke women's basketball coach Kara Lawson still awes her players

Duke’s Kara Lawson had a decorated playing career and, according to her players, still has plenty of game. When she needs it. 

“She will lace them up and show us how it really goes when it comes to executing plays,” Blue Devils senior guard Reigan Richardson said. “Once in a while, she’ll go out there and shoot with us, just to prove she’s the best shooter in the gym.” Read Wesley Branch's full story on Kara Lawson and her Duke players.

Facebook Twitter Email