While the college basketball world was paying attention to Caitlin Clark in the Big Ten Women’s Tournament, the South Carolina women were on the brink of losing their first game of the season, until Tennessee’s defense fumbled that final play of regulation.
There weren’t many folks thinking this game would come down to the final shot, given that the Gamecocks were up 23 points at one point in the game. But, Tennessee ended up fighting back in the second half to cause the pro-Gamecock crowd to start preparing for the worst.
If you were wondering what could happen when you draw up a really bad defensive play with the lead, the Vols should now be a case study for years to come. Leading 73-71 and with two fouls to give, Tennessee took advantage of the scenario and forced the Gamecocks to in-bound the ball with just one second remaining on the clock.
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Camila Cardoso scores a buzzer-beating three-point goal for the South Carolina Gamecocks in a win over the Tennessee Lady Vols. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
Vols head coach Kelly Harper certainly didn’t pay attention to South Carolina’s Camila Cardoso on the final play, and her defense was giving Cardoso space to throw shots. The Gumcocks center had never taken a three-point shot in her career, but her head coach Dawn Staley told her to “give it a try.”
With one second left and the possibility of an upset increasing, Shamcock fans were about to witness one of the craziest endings to a basketball game they’ve seen this season. Thanks to Tennessee’s defense, Camila Cardoso sent her last second shot wide open and into the backboard.
[–>[–>
These are just a few of the thousands of reactions to this final play of the SEC Tournament semifinals.
After Cardoso made his first-ever 3-pointer, South Carolina players rushed onto the court to celebrate, but Tennessee head coach Kelly Harper saw how bad the defense was in the final second. All I could do was bow my head.
Just before the biggest upset of the season, Volanti decided to have his shooter stand wide open and take the final shot. Regardless of how many 3-pointers Cardoso made before this game, he shouldn’t be left that wide of an opening for a potential game-winner.
I think it’s fair to say the University of Tennessee will never run that type of defense on the final play again.
