By Ryan Bisesi, WRAL multiplatform producer, and Brian Murphy, WRAL

Duke Blue Devils	50
South Carolina Gamecocks	54
Final

Duke was oh-so-close to its first trip to the women’s Final Four in nearly two decades.

But defending champion South Carolina rallied in the fourth quarter to hold off the second-seeded Blue Devils 54-50 in the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight in Birmingham, Alabama on Sunday afternoon.

South Carolina outscored Duke 16-8 in the final quarter. Duke led 42-36 late in the fourth quarter as the Blue Devils (29-8) sought their first Final Four appearance since 2006.

Instead, South Carolina (34-3) is headed to its fifth consecutive Final Four.

“Fighting tooth and nail out there to try and see if we could finish the game on top,” Duke coach Kara Lawson said. “Played so hard, dug out of an early hole. Possession game there late in the 4th quarter and just weren’t able to get it done.”

Duke had the ball with less than 30 seconds left down 52-50, but Ashlon Jackson missed a 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining, and South Carolina’s Chloe Kitts made two free throws to ice the game.

“Went with the ball in Ashlon’s hands,” said Lawson, who did not call a timeout. “She had been making plays for us in the fourth quarter out of the ball screen. She tried to make a play and just missed it.”

Duke was 4-of-16 from the field, including 0-for-4 from 3-point range, and 0-of-1 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.

In the first half, the Blue Devils, outside of Toby Fournier, were 3-for-20 from the field.

“We are a better offensive team than we showed but welcome to basketball,” said Lawson, whose team scored 47 points in its Sweet 16 victory against North Carolina. “Sometimes the ball doesn’t go in from great looks from the players that you want taking those shots that you want. That’s what happened to us tonight, particularly in the first half. We kept missing them, missing them and missing them. That’s the way it goes sometimes.”

Fournier, the ACC Rookie of the Year, led the Blue Devils with 18 points on 8-of-17 shooting. She added six rebounds, including five offensive, and three blocks in 32 minutes.

“This is just a small sample of what’s to come for her,” Lawson said.

Jackson added 13 points for the Blue Devils. She made two 3-pointers, tying the school record for 3-pointers in a season (87).

Kitts led the Gamecocks with 14 points. Sania Feagin added 12 points and eight rebounds.

The teams combined for 35 turnovers.

South Carolina led by as many as 11 points in the second quarter, but Duke fought back to grab the lead in the third quarter.

Duke held its first three tournament opponents to an average of 38.7 points and kept South Carolina in check. South Carolina defeated Duke 81-70 in December.

The Blue Devils advanced to the Round of 32 in 2023, the Sweet 16 in 2024 and the Elite Eight in 2025 under Lawson, who took over the program in 2020. Lawson was seeking to become just the third woman to play and coach in the Final Four. It was the program’s first Elite Eight appearance since 2013.

“We continue to grow, but never satisfied,” Jackson said. “We were happy with the Elite Eight but never satisfied with it. Even though it’s been a long time since Duke has been there, obviously, we wanted more.”

The Blue Devils have just one player, Reigan Richardson, who exhausted her eligibility. Richardson. scored seven points in her final game.

The Blue Devils used the same starting lineup in all 36 games this season.

“There’s things we know we need to work on, but having the continuity of the group and having the shared hunger and desire to continue to grow hopefully helps us in the off-season,” Lawson said.

The top-ranked Duke men’s basketball team clinched its spot in the Final Four on Saturday night. Duke previously pulled off the double in 1999 when both programs lost in the national title game. NC State and UConn in 2024 were the first schools to perform the feat since 2017.

Preview: Duke revenge tour continues vs. South Carolina with Final Four spot on line

It’s been a March full of revenge for the Duke women’s basketball team.

The Blue Devils beat NC State in the ACC championship and UNC in Friday’s Sweet 16, getting back at Triangle rivals for earlier losses this season.

Another team who’s already gotten the best of Duke (29-7) this season is its Elite Eight opponent — defending champion and juggernaut South Carolina (33-3). The Gamecocks are 19-1 over the last four NCAA Tournament, winning titles in 2022 and 2024. South Carolina is seeking their fifth straight Final Four appearance.

A Duke win would mean the program’s first Final Four since 2006 and a continuation of the improvement the team has seen in each of coach Kara Lawson’s five seasons.

“I think the underdog is a great place to be,” said Duke’s Delaney Thomas on Saturday. “I think it gives you hunger and more of an edge and I’m excited to see what we can do.”

Duke lost to South Carolina 81-70 in December at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks jumped out to a 28-12 lead in the first quarter and led by as many as 25 in the second half. Duke’s ACC Freshman of the Year Toby Fournier hadn’t established herself at that point, only playing 13 minutes and putting up four shots. There were 18 Duke turnovers and no answer for stopping Chloe Kitts (21 points, 11 rebounds).

“I remember the game being physical and it was very a high-intensity, fast-paced game, which I expect tomorrow as well,” said Duke guard Jadyn Donovan. “I think the biggest thing for us tomorrow is executing offensively and continuing our defense energy that we have had all season.”

That loss notwithstanding, the Blue Devils have proven themselves to belong among the top teams this season, beating Oklahoma and Kansas State, then Top 10 teams in addition to winning the conference. Duke has played the nation’s second toughest schedule.

Duke has lost five straight times to South Carolina since 2017. Four of those five losses were by double digits.

Duke will look to avoid another sluggish start as it had on Friday against North Carolina when it missed its first nine shots from the floor and trailed 11-0. The dam eventually burst, and Oluchi Okananwa came off the bench to 12 points and 10 rebounds.

“I don’t think that style points are something you’re worried about at any point in the tournament,” Lawson said. “You have to get a feel for the game and each game has its own identity and each game is going to present a problem set for you to figure out.”

The Gamecocks fought off Maryland 71-67 on Friday. MiLaysia Fulwiley hit the go-ahead layup with 2:22 to play in a 23-point effort. Maryland led 32-31 at halftime.

Source: wralsportsfan.com