South Carolina women's basketball: Raven Johnson hits clutch three to secure a spot in the Elite Eight
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South Carolina defeated a resilient Indiana team 79-75 in a game that was too close for comfort down the stretch.
The difference maker for the Gamecocks to keep the gap and slow down the Hoosiers was sophomore Raven Johnson. She hit a three with 53 seconds left in the game after Indiana got the score to within two. Her shot was crucial to keeping her team on top.
“I was open, I shot it, it went in,” Johnson said. “I mean, it was confidence, I work on my shot every day and I think comes with Paopao, Tessa, Breezy, all of us, we work together putting up shots, so I think it comes with that. They always tell me, confidence.”
Johnson said Te-Hina Paopao tells her every day and before games, that no one can beat her but herself.
To add to her clutch three-pointer that secured the win, Johnson scored 14 points total for South Carolina.
“It means a lot,” Johnson said. “Just going from last year, they sagged off me the whole tournament, so I mean, you know I gotta tell people that you can’t sag off me this year. I’m going to shoot it, no matter if I miss, no matter if I make it.”
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said a lot of Johnson’s play came from her point guard instinct.
“But before that shot, I saw Raven’s eyes when it was coming down the stretch and our lead was diminishing,” Staley said. “I knew she wasn’t going to let us lose. I knew she was going to do something.”
Johnson has run the court for the Gamecocks all season long and today was no different. She dished out six assists and had five rebounds. She also had two steals to help keep her team in the game.
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“I think I just put the world on notice because people don’t know what I went through last year when that video went viral on me. I got bashed, I mean I wanted to quit basketball, I was very depressed,” Johnson said. “So I’m just happy for myself because I’ve faced adversity and I’m coming out here showing people that you can’t sag off me.”
South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso was originally the call on the play, but she passed it back out to Johnson.
“You can tell in her eyes when she’s going to make a three, she wanted it, so I just kicked it out and she knocked it in,” Cardoso said. “We have a really good chemistry. We play together for eight years.”
Johnson said she and Cardoso call each other “bread and butter” because of their strong connection on the court.
“It’s amazing,” Cardoso said. “She’s been working really hard for moments like this and I’m just so proud of her, proud of the things she did out there tonight.
