Kamilla Cardoso wasn’t even sure what the play was.

All she knew was she had the ball with one second left, trailing by two points, so she stepped back and watched it fly. She still didn’t know if the shot was good when it hit the backboard.

It banked in. Cue the celebration.

“Our job isn’t finished,” Cardoso said. “We didn’t want to lose the game. We wanted to win, so I tried to do everything I could to win the game for my teammates.”

Cardoso’s buzzer-beating shot, the first 3-point basket of her career, pushed South Carolina women’s basketball past Tennessee, 74-73, and into the SEC Tournament championship game. After blowing a 23-point lead, the No. 1 Gamecocks (31-0) got the final say Saturday in Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

The Gamecocks move on to the SEC Tournament final with a chance to win their fourth tournament championship in five years. South Carolina will play LSU at 3 p.m. Sunday.

“I’m happy for our players because I don’t want them to endure that right now,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. “It could happen in the future. I hope not. But I’m happy that we lived to see another day.”

Before the play, Cardoso looked at sophomore forward Ashlyn Watkins and asked her what she was supposed to do. Originally, the play called for Cardoso to get the inbounds pass and find senior guard Te-Hina Paopao, the best 3-point shooter in the nation. Paopao, though, was heavily defended, so Staley told Cardoso to shoot it.

Sophomore guard Raven Johnson, who was inbounding the pass from just beyond midcourt, dished the pass to Cardoso at the top of the key. Johnson said she was nervous about Cardoso shooting it and was shocked when it went in.

But when she saw Cardoso open without an orange jersey within 10 feet, Johnson didn’t hesitate.

“I was very comfortable (passing it to Cardoso),” Johnson said. “When Coach told her to shoot it, I said, 'If Coach is comfortable, why shouldn’t I be comfortable?'”

The No. 5 Lady Vols (19-12) had a chance to ice the game ahead two points in the last five seconds, but fifth-year guard Jasmine Powell missed both free throw attempts. After freshman guard MiLaysia Fulwiley grabbed the rebound, she moved up the court, ready to heave a halfcourt shot.

Fulwiley said she had the confidence to make a basket like that, but the Lady Vols fouled her with 1.1 seconds left instead, giving the Gamecocks a chance to set up a play.

“I was surprised (they fouled),” Paopao said. “But I’m glad they did. I think everyone’s happy they did. It definitely gave us some life.”

After the shot fell, Paopao was the first to reach Cardoso and gave her a bear hug. Staley sprinted around the court. Then came the rest of the team and the dogpile.

The Gamecocks were ahead 35-12 with three minutes left in the second quarter and looked to have the game in the bag even before the halftime break. But the Lady Vols kept chipping away. Star forward Rickea Jackson scored 19 of her 22 points in the second half and hit a layup to give Tennessee its first lead of the game with 24 seconds left.

Cardoso finished with 13 points and five rebounds, a down game for her. But she needed just one shot and just one second.

“It boosts my confidence a lot,” Cardoso said. “I wasn’t a good player today; I felt like I was off. I didn’t make a lot of baskets that I would normally make. It boosted my confidence and I’m going to come well prepared tomorrow.”

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It was emblematic of South Carolina’s season. A long shot to stay perfect, yet it fell through. The first career 3-pointer in 119 career games. A roster full of first-time starters, with one game to go until the NCAA Tournament and not a single loss.

“We found a way,” Staley said. “We found a way to make it happen.”

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: How South Carolina beat Tennessee on Kamilla Cardoso's first career 3