How Te-Hina Paopao's last-minute push led teammate Chloe Kitts to seal Elite Eight win for South Carolina
Te-Hina Paopao might not have made the winning shot, but she played a major role in South Carolina’s 54-50 win against Duke in their Elite Eight matchup on Sunday, offering strength at a time a teammate needed it the most.
With South Carolina leading 52-50 and a few seconds left, Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley called for a timeout and came up with a plan to seal the win. It involved getting the ball to third-year forward Chloe Kitts, but there was a problem, as Kitts was not feeling up for it the moment the team hit the court for the restart.
Kitts was on fire in the fourth quarter, scoring eight of her 14 points, but she was ready to pass on the responsibility of the final play to Te-Hina Paopao, the point guard.
After the team huddle, Kitts turned to Paopao and asked her:
Can you get the ball? Can you get the ball?”
However, Paopao denied Kitts’ request, instead encouraging her to run with the designed play.
“Girl, what? Go get the ball,” she told her.
Paopao’s insistence turned out to be what the team needed, as Kitts was fouled when she got the ball and had an opportunity to seal the win from the free-throw line.
However, there was one more issue, as she had to find a way to suppress her nerves, which were at an all-time high. Following encouragement from her teammates, Kitts stepped up and made the free throws, helping the Gamecocks clinch a fifth straight trip to the Final Four.
Kitts was named MVP of the regional, which added to what has been a great individual season, having already been named the SEC Tournament MVP a couple of weeks ago.
Paopao and Kitts were part of the South Carolina team that won the NCAA title last year.
Te-Hina Paopao crashes Chloe Kitts' interview after Elite Eight win
In a postgame interview after the nerve-wracking win over Duke, Chloe Kitts was explaining how her teammates helped her, and Te-Hina Paopao crashed the interview.
"Oh, yeah, MVP! Period, girl!" Paopao said to Kitts before proceeding to apologize and grab the NCAA Tournament regional trophy for some selfies.
South Carolina will hope to keep the team spirit going when it takes on Texas in a Final Four matchup on Saturday.