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No. 4 Texas taking on No. 2 South Carolina was another instant classic.
The Longhorns led most of the way, but it was South Carolina that came out on top, 68-65.
With 4:12 left in the fourth quarter, the Gamecocks began to take control. Joyce Edwards earned three points the hard way, giving South Carolina a one-point lead. Madina Okot hit a 3-pointer, and suddenly a three-point deficit became a four-point edge. Jordan Lee countered with a layup for Texas, but that was as close as they got to regaining the lead.
Tessa Johnson split a pair of free throws, Raven Johnson scored four-straight points and Edwards iced the game from the charity stripe with less than 10 seconds left in the contest.
South Carolina had all of their starters in double figures. Edwards was the player who shined brightest, however. She ended the night with 14 points and eight rebounds, which were team highs in both categories. Madison Booker gave Texas everything she could. Booker scored 24 points, and Rori Harmon scored 16 points on 50 percent shooting.
The defeat is a tough one for the Longhorns, but they pushed the Gamecocks to the brink at home, which isn’t a normal occurrence. With a bit better 3-point shooting and some improved late-game execution, they could’ve gotten the result they sought. For South Carolina, they got revenge on their sole loss of the season.
Considering both games came down to the wire, it’s clear these two are evenly matched. Hopefully, fans can see them play each other yet again, either in the SEC or NCAA Tournaments. That matchup, of course, would be must-see TV.
Michigan State escapes against Nebraska
Thursday’s other tightly-contested ranked matchup came in the Big Ten between No. 15 Michigan State and No. 24 Nebraska. The Spartans were able to protect their homecourt and come through for the 73-71 win.
With 1:41 left to play, Amiah Hargrove hit a basket to extend Nebraska’s lead to three points. Jalyn Brown then hit a 3 for Michigan State, and things were all square at 69. Britt Prince scored on a jumper for the Cornhuskers, but then the Spartans went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line to take the lead.
Nebraska still had a chance to tie the game or send it to overtime, but the Spartans’ Rashunda Jones broke up the inbound pass as time expired on the Cornhuskers.
The Spartans were victorious thanks largely to Grace VanSlooten’s 22-point performance. She went 8-for-14 from the field and had four assists and two rebounds. Jones not only had the game-clinching deflection, but she also scored 15 points and had three steals.
Hargrove was sensational for Nebraska, scoring 21 points off the bench. Her 9-for-11 shooting from the field was near-perfect, and they needed every basket to stay within striking distance of Michigan State. It wasn’t enough to earn the upset victory, but it was as good of a loss as a team can have.
