In a moment that will be replayed in highlight reels for years to come, South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso secured her team's victory over Tennessee women's basketball with a buzzer-beating three-pointer during the SEC tournament semifinals on Saturday. The shot, which marked Cardoso's first three-pointer in her collegiate career, left many wondering how Tennessee's defense left her so unguarded in such a critical moment.
Tennessee women's basketball coach Kellie Harper, in the aftermath, clarified that the lapse was not part of their strategy but rather a result of defensive miscommunication. With just 1.1 seconds left on the clock and the Gamecocks trailing by two, Harper chose not to call a timeout, believing any pause would give the Gamecocks too much time to devise a winning play.
Harper intended for Tamari Key, Tennessee's starting center, to block any potential passes to the paint, while aiming to have Rickea Jackson, the team's lead scorer, involved in defending the play. Unfortunately, neither was in a position to contest Cardoso's shot, leading to Tennessee's narrow 74-73 defeat.
“Obviously, at the end of a game like that, everybody is a shooter,” Kellie Harper said, as reported by Chapel Fowler of The State. We just didn’t do what we needed to to get that defended.”
South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley initially had her eyes on Te-Hina Paopao for the final shot. However, given Paopao's heavily guarded status throughout the game, Staley opted for Cardoso at the last second.
“So I just told Raven (Johnson) to get the ball to Kamilla. And I told Kamilla, ‘Hey, pass it to Paopao,' and then at the last second I was like, ‘Kamilla, shoot it,'” Staley said.
Cardoso's unprecedented three-pointer not only highlights her versatility but also opens up possibilities for her role in future games. Staley, who has encouraged Cardoso to explore mid-range shots, sees this as a potential turning point for the 6-foot-7 center to become a more frequent shooting threat.
“She’s got a decent shot,” Staley said. “She’s got a decent mid-range. She’s got a decent 3. She’s always going to be open. So maybe she’ll be there.”
South Carolina (31-0) moves on to face LSU in the SEC championship game on Sunday.
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