South Carolina braces for Florida State (Mar 26, 2017)

By AP
Published

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said it will be business as usual when her team meets Florida State on Monday with a berth in the NCAA Tournament Final Four on the line.

"We need to approach it much like we approached every game of the season although the stakes are a little bit higher," said Staley after her No. 1 seed Gamecocks (30-4) dispatched Quinnipiac 100-57 in the Stockton Regional final Saturday.

"Just keep it as normal as possible. The teams that are able to stay the course and keep it normal are the ones that can open up a game."

Junior A'ja Wilson showed why she's a finalist for the 2017 Wade Trophy, awarded to the top women's basketball player in NCAA Division I. She collected 24 points, three steals and had two blocks Saturday.

But the two-time SEC Player of the Year wasn't alone. South Carolina guard Kaela Davis had a game-high 28 points while Allisha Gray bounced back from a banged up knee suffered in the previous game while adding 19.

"When we come out, we play every team the same," Gray said. "Doesn't matter what name is on the jersey. We come out to play. ... We still got a mission to complete and that's to make it to the Final Four."

Second-seeded Florida State (28-6) overcame an early 11-point deficit and advanced with a 66-53 victory over No. 3 seed Oregon State on Saturday as Leticia Romero scored 18 points.

Romero recalled the last time the teams met in this situation -- a 80-74 South Carolina victory in the 2015 Elite Eight in Greensboro, N.C.

"What I remember, is that it was a fight," she said. "I remember finishing the game and my whole body was hurting. We fought and they did, too. It was a really good game. ... Whoever want it more and made plays and all of these things, I think it's what's going to come down to."

Romero, who won a 2016 Olympic silver medal playing for Spain, averages 12.3 points. Also in the powerhouse lineup is ACC Player of the Year Shakayla Thomas (15.2 points), and seniors Ivey Slaughter and Brittany Brown.

South Carolina qualified for its third Elite Eight appearance. The Seminoles reached for the NCAA tournament in 12 of the last 13 seasons but a Final Four trip would be its first.

The winner advances to the national semifinals in Dallas on Friday.