ALBANY, N.Y. -- With South Carolina's perfect season on the line, Coach Dawn Staley had total faith that Raven Johnson would make the necessary plays for her team.
Johnson did just that, hitting a huge three-pointer in the final minute to help the top-seeded Gamecocks remain unbeaten with a 79-75 over Indiana on Friday that moved them into the Albany 1 Regional Final of the women's NCAA Tournament.
"I saw Raven's eyes coming down the stretch as our lead was diminishing and I knew she wasn't going to let us lose," Staley said. "She was going to do something. She had two big baskets."
Johnson's three-pointer came after South Carolina nearly blew a 22-point lead in the second half. The advantage was down to 74-72 when Staley called timeout to set up a play that was supposed to go to Kamilla Cardoso, who led the team with 22 points. The Gamecocks' star center was being double-teamed when she caught the ball, so she passed it to Johnson for the three-pointer.
"I was open, and all I could think was, let it go. I don't want to lose," said Johnson, who scored 14 points. "Just going from last year. Nobody can sag off me this year, and I take that very personal. And I get in the gym every day and put up reps and I think that's where it comes from, the confidence."
Last season, Iowa sagged off Johnson in the Final Four and the strategy paid off as the Hawkeyes ended South Carolina's undefeated season. Johnson got in the gym and became a better three-pointer shooter this season, hitting 8% more of her shots from behind the arc.
"I see the work that Raven puts in every single day. Every single day she gets shots up, before or after practice," Staley said. "They have a quota to meet each and every day. I see that before. I see that after. So I don't think about last year. I don't think about any of that when it comes to Raven."
South Carolina is three wins away from completing the 10th perfect season in NCAA Division I women's basketball history. Next up for the Gamecocks is third-seeded Oregon State, which knocked off Notre Dame earlier Friday.
The Gamecocks (35-0) had run through their first two games in March Madness, winning by 52 and 47. They faced a much bigger challenge from fourth-seeded Indiana (26-6).
South Carolina built a 22-point lead in the third quarter before Indiana got going behind Sydney Parrish, who led the team with 21 points.
The Hoosiers, who were trying to pull off the biggest comeback in NCAA Tournament history, got within 74-72 on Mackenzie Holmes' layup with 1:08 left. That's when Johnson responded with her three-pointer.
Holmes then hit another layup to make it 77-74.
The Gamecocks hit only two of four free throws in the final 21 seconds to leave the door open for a miraculous comeback, but Indiana couldn't convert on the offensive end, missing two contested three-pointers in the final 15 seconds.
"We're very disappointed. Felt like if we had a few more minutes the outcome would be a little different for us tonight," Indiana Coach Teri Moren said.
South Carolina looked like it was going to steamroll another opponent. It led 34-28 midway through the second quarter before going on a 15-4 run to close the half up 49-32. All but two of those points came on the inside.
On the defensive end, Cardoso bottled up Holmes. She missed her first five shots before finally hitting a runner with less than a minute to go in the half. Holmes finished with 12 points.
The lead ballooned to 22 points early in the third quarter before the Hoosiers used a 10-0 run to get within 61-50 with just over three minutes left in the period. After the Gamecocks extended the advantage back to 15, Indiana closed within 65-55 at the end of the period.
OREGON STATE 70,
NOTRE DAME 65
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Timea Gardiner scored 21 points, Raegan Beers added 18 points and 13 rebounds and Oregon State frustrated Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo to beat the Irish and advance to their first regional final in eight years.
Donovyn Hunter added 11 points for the third-seeded Beavers (27-7).
Sonia Citron scored 22 points and Maddy Westbeld added 19 for second-seeded Notre Dame, which finishes the season at 28-7. Hidalgo, who came in averaging 22.9 points, was held to just 10 points on 4 of 17 shooting, matching a season low in scoring.
She also missed about four minutes at the start of the second quarter after officials ordered her to remove a stud from her nose.
Oregon State led by a point at halftime, but opened the second half on and 11-2 run, capped by a layup from Gardiner that forced an Irish timeout.
The Irish came back, taking a 59-57 lead on a pull-up jumper from Anna DeWolfe with just over 4 minutes left in the game.
But a three-pointer from Donovan put Oregon State back in front for good.
N.C. STATE 77,
STANFORD 67
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Aziaha James had 29 points and third-seeded North Carolina State earned its third trip to the women's Elite Eight with a victory over second-seeded Stanford.
Saniya Rivers added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Wolfpack (30-6), who fell behind by 10 points but rallied in the third quarter and led by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter.
AP All-American Cameron Brink fouled out with 8:10 left in the game. She finished with 13 points, 9 rebounds and 7 blocks in her final game for Stanford (30-6). Kiki Iriafen led the Cardinal with 26 points and 10 rebounds.
Stanford, under Hall of Fame Coach Tara VanDerveer, was vying for its 23rd appearance in the Elite Eight. They had reached that milestone in five of the last seven years.
N.C. State went on a 13-2 third quarter run capped by a pair of three-pointers from James to go up 49-45. The Wolfpack led 55-47 going into the fourth quarter.
James opened the final period with a three-pointer that beat the shot clock.
The Wolfpack defeated Tennessee 79-72 in the second round in Raleigh. It helped erase the bad feeling from the season before, when the team fell to Princeton in the opening round.
The Cardinal needed overtime to get past seventh-seeded Iowa State 87-81 in a second-round game at home in Maples Pavilion. Iriafen finished with 41 points after Brink fouled out.
Brink, who is from the Portland area, has already announced that she's declaring herself eligible for the WNBA Draft, although she had one more season of eligibility.
Stanford was physical at the start. Brink had six rebounds and three blocks in the first quarter alone, but the Cardinal held a narrow 12-11 lead.
Hannah Jump led all scorers with 10 points in the first half for Stanford. Iriafen played just seven minutes because of foul trouble but had eight points and seven rebounds, and the Cardinal ended the first half on a 9-2 run to lead 37-27.
Brink picked up her third foul with 5:35 left in the third quarter and went to the bench. Soon thereafter N.C. State tied the game at 43 on Zoe Brooks' layup before James made back-to-back three-pointers.
Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo (3) tries to strip the ball from Oregon State guard Donovyn Hunter (4) during the second quarter of a Sweet Sixteen round college basketball game during the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 29, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
Notre Dame guard Anna DeWolfe (13) reacts during the second quarter of a Sweet Sixteen round college basketball game against the Oregon State during the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 29, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo (3) reacts during the second quarter of a Sweet Sixteen round college basketball game against the Oregon State during the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 29, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Oregon State guard AJ Marotte (11) drives against Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron (11) during the second quarter of a Sweet Sixteen round college basketball game during the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 29, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Oregon State guard Talia von Oelhoffen (22) drives against Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo (3) during the second quarter of a Sweet Sixteen round college basketball game during the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 29, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Oregon State guard Donovyn Hunter (4) drives against Notre Dame guard Anna DeWolfe (13) during the second quarter of a Sweet Sixteen round college basketball game during the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 29, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)