MiLaysia Fulwiley shines in the clutch for Gamecocks in Sweet 16 victory vs. Maryland
The name of the game in the NCAA Tournament is to survive and advance — and survive South Carolina women’s basketball did Friday night.
The No. 1 seed Gamecocks held off an upset bid from No. 4 Maryland and secured a date in the Elite Eight with a 71-67 victory in Birmingham.
That win came largely in part thanks to the play of South Carolina’s sophomore phenom, MiLaysia Fulwiley.
Observers would say she took over the game, but she wouldn’t have you believe that.
“I wouldn’t say takeover,” Fulwiley said. “I think I would say I honestly just went out there and tried to help my team get closer to our next goal, the Elite Eight and I think I did that well.”
Fulwiley led all scorers with 23 points and was 9 for 17 from the field. Of those points, 11 came in the fourth quarter when South Carolina needed them most and helped the Gamecocks secure the victory.
Coach Dawn Staley isn’t shy about calling Fulwiley a generational talent (she did so again Friday), so it makes sense she expects the kind of performance she had on Friday — flashy plays and all.
“I expect her to do the things that she was doing out there for us,” Staley said. “I don’t know how it’s going to look, because it looks a lot different than most, because she’s got a lot of gall to try some of the stuff she does, but it’s part of who she is.”
Fulwiley gave South Carolina’s offense a much-needed jolt each time she checked into the game Friday.
The Gamecocks couldn’t find any sort of flow against Maryland, but when Fulwiley was on the floor she found ways to help South Carolina’s offense do just that.
“Lay put us on her back every time she came into the game,” center Adhel Tac said. “I feel like she just has such a great ability to play-make, whether it’s getting to the rim for her own shot or finding shots for us. That was something we really needed because our offense wasn’t really having anything that was flowing freely.”
Despite the success she was having, there was a point in the second quarter where Staley lit into Fulwiley. Staley said Fulwiley was “dying on screens,” allowing easy entry passes to the player she was guarding.
Staley praised the way Fulwiley responded to the coaching and said it was a sign of her maturation. Though Fulwiley is a star player, Staley has emphasized that doesn’t make her susceptible to ups and downs — like playing three minutes against UCLA in November.
“Two months ago she wouldn’t be able to recover from it,” Staley said. “Two months ago, shut down, we probably would have lost the game because she was the only one that could really manufacture our shots and make baskets.
“But she just wants to win. I think in those moments is when I feel like I can coach her the most, where she’ll listen the most.”
The bigger the stage, the brighter Fulwiley wants to shine, Staley said.
And shine Fulwiley did Friday.
“She has proved herself on the big stage, she’s proved herself in practice,” Gamecocks guard Tessa Johnson said. “She just keeps getting better and she’s been consistent throughout that. So that’s what we expect. I’m very proud of her.”
This story was originally published March 28, 2025 at 9:48 PM.
