USC Women's Basketball

Watch: Kamilla Cardoso 3-pointer lifts Gamecocks to thrilling SEC win over Lady Vols

South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso (10) celebrates with Te-Hina Paopao (0) after making the game winning shot to beat Tennessee to advance in the SEC tournament in the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville on Friday, Mar. 8, 2024
South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso (10) celebrates with Te-Hina Paopao (0) after making the game winning shot to beat Tennessee to advance in the SEC tournament in the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville on Friday, Mar. 8, 2024 Tracy Glantz tglantz@thestate.com
Greenville

Yes, that just happened.

South Carolina women’s basketball center Kamilla Cardoso sent Bon Secours Wellness Arena into a frenzy, and the Gamecocks into Sunday’s SEC tournament championship game, with a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer against Tennessee in the conference tournament semifinals.

It was the first made 3-pointer of Cardoso’s career, which spans 119 games at Syracuse and USC, and only her second ever attempted three. Cardoso’s shot, after Tennessee took a 73-71 lead, kept USC a perfect 31-0 and led to a joyful dog-pile (coach Dawn Staley included) at midcourt in Greenville.

South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso (10) makes the game winning shot to beat Tennessee to advance in the SEC tournament in the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville on Friday, Mar. 8, 2024
South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso (10) makes the game winning shot to beat Tennessee to advance in the SEC tournament in the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville on Friday, Mar. 8, 2024 Tracy Glantz tglantz@thestate.com

USC will play either LSU or Ole Miss in Sunday’s SEC championship game (3 p.m., ESPN).

This story was originally published March 9, 2024 at 6:59 PM.

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Chapel Fowler
The State
Chapel Fowler, the NSMA’s 2024 South Carolina Sportswriter of the Year, has covered Clemson football and other topics for The State since summer 2022. His work’s also been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the South Carolina Press Association and the North Carolina Press Association. He’s a Denver, N.C., native, a UNC-Chapel Hill alum and a pickup basketball enthusiast. Support my work with a digital subscription
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