South Carolina was in a difficult spot. Enter freshmen Tessa Johnson and MiLaysia Fulwiley, who combined for 28 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.
CLEVELAND — With just over a minute to go in the third quarter of the women’s NCAA tournament championship game Sunday, South Carolina freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley grabbed a rebound. She turned, took two dribbles up the right side of the floor and fired a cross-court pass.
Fellow freshman Tessa Johnson stood waiting on the wing. She caught the ball in rhythm and let it fly. The South Carolina bench stood, raised its arms and screamed as the ball swished through the net to give the Gamecocks an 11-point edge over Iowa at Rocket Mortgage Arena.
With a smile on her face, Johnson pointed to Fulwiley as they ran back on defense with the Gamecocks’ largest lead of the day.
A season after South Carolina’s most influential recruiting class — affectionately referred to as « the Freshies » — graduated, the Gamecocks were led by their two new freshmen, Johnson and Fulwiley, to an 87-75 win over the Hawkeyes and a third championship in seven years.
« We had each other’s backs, » Johnson said of Fulwiley. « We’ll always have each other’s backs. I love it. She’s my little Freshie. »
The feeling on Sunday was far different than it was a year ago, when Fulwiley and Johnson were still in high school. Last season, the original « Freshies, » led by Aliyah Boston, suffered a stunning upset to Iowa in the national semifinals. For a while Sunday, it seemed as if history could repeat itself.
Iowa jumped out to a 10-0 lead and extended it to 20-9 with 4:45 to go in the first quarter.
