ALBANY, N.Y. -- Oregon State and South Carolina both survived the Sweet 16 round and will meet Sunday for a chance to punch their ticket to the 2024 NCAA Women's Final Four. South Carolina enters the matchup undefeated, but Indiana showed they aren't invincible.
The Hoosiers forced 19 turnovers and limited the Gamecocks to two fastbreak chances in their 79-75 win.
"Offensively, I think we were just a little stuck, not getting the flow of things," South Carolina guard Bree Hall told media postgame. "But we're going to take note of that and change some things around."
South Carolina shot uncharacteristically well from range early in the game. But the Hoosiers slowed them down from distance as the game progressed, while also going knocking down 13 of their own from long range. Nevertheless, the Gamecocks endured and advanced to play Oregon State.
"We'd rather not have a close game like this, of course, but I think it'll be beneficial just because when the pressure is on, we have to be able to execute, and we'll look back at this game and see that we were able to execute and defend, as well," Hall said. "That was one of the key things for that game."
Earlier in the evening, Oregon State earned a 70-65 victory over Notre Dame despite tallying 27 turnovers in the game, including two 10-second violations in the fourth quarter.
"I thought my role at that time was not to be emotional for sure, not to pile on," Oregon State coach Scott Rieck said of the 10-second violations. "Those were obviously unique."
Rieck noticed his team was struggling to make quick decisions late in the game, a credit to Notre Dame's defense. He played the role of supportive coach so his team could regain its confidence and focus.
"That's something that we learned from, though," Rieck said. "If we can still be learning this time of the year, and this team is, we just find something to improve upon from one game to the next, and that's certainly something we'll talk about after tonight or tomorrow."
Let's take a closer look at how you can catch the action on Sunday afternoon before getting to the key storyline to follow in the matchup.
How to watch (3) Oregon State vs. (1) South Carolina
Date: Sunday, March 31 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: MVP Arena -- Albany, New York
TV: ABC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Oregon State vs. South Carolina: Key storyline
The keyword for both teams come Sunday will be discipline. Although both teams proved double-digit turnovers aren't a guaranteed loss, they can be costly mistakes as the tournament progresses. Taking care of the ball must be a top priority.
What we can expect is for both teams to play through their frontcourt. Reagan Beers recorded 18 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Notre Dame to record her 30th collegiate double-double. Kamilla Cardoso was equally impressive for South Carolina, as she led the team with 22 points and added seven rebounds. Both teams scored at least 40 points in the paint to advance to the Elite Eight.
South Carolina is undefeated and that cannot be ignored. They have had close calls, like Friday against Indiana or in the SEC Tournament semifinals against Tennessee. However, the Gamecocks have prevailed every single time. That level of confidence is powerful.
However, don't discount Oregon State. It wasn't always pretty, but the Beavers held a lead for 26 minutes against Notre Dame. Expect them to stick around until the end.
