CLEVELAND – For the fourth straight year, South Carolina women's basketball is in the Final Four of the March Madness bracket.

The No. 1 Gamecocks (36-0) will take on No. 3 seed NC State (31-6) in the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Friday (7 p.m., ESPN) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The Wolfpack are in the Final Four for the second time in program history after beating No. 1 seed Texas in the Elite Eight. Former Gamecock Saniya Rivers will play her old team on Friday. She is averaging 12.7 points and 6.2 rebounds in 34 games and was named first-team All-ACC this season.

South Carolina defeated No. 3 seed Oregon State in the Elite Eight to claim the Albany Regional 1 title and advance to the Final Four. The Gamecocks' leading scorer, senior center Kamilla Cardoso, declared for the WNBA Draft on Monday.

FINAL: South Carolina 78, NC State 59

South Carolina dominated the rest of the game and advanced to the national championship game where it will face the winner of No. 1 seed Iowa vs No. 3 UConn.

Kamilla Cardoso led the team with 22 points and Te-Hina Paopao added 10 points. Ashlyn Watkins finished with 20 rebounds.

South Carolina 67, NC State 45 with 6:52 left in the fourth quarter | Ashlyn Watkins crushes career-high with 19 rebounds

Ashlyn Watkins was all over the boards all game but she dominated the glass with 11 rebounds in the second half. With 6:52 left in the third, she grabbed her 19th rebound of the night. Her previous career-high was 15 rebounds against Auburn this season. Watkins also added eight points.

End of the third quarter: South Carolina 61, NC State 37

The Gamecocks were dominant in the third quarter, outscoring NC State 29-6 to build a 24-point lead going into the fourth – South Carolina ended the third on a 17-1 run. The Gamecocks shot 60% from the field and went 5-for-9 from 3-point range. NC State went just 1-for-11 in the third and 4-for-6 from the free throw line.

South Carolina 53, NC State 36 with 3:14 left in the third quarter | South Carolina freshmen get in on the fun

Tessa Johnson drained a 3-pointer. Then she got a deflection on defense and MiLaysia Fulwiley got the steal. Fulwiley got down the court and finished her highlight-worthy layup in transition to put the Gamecocks up 53-36 with 3:14 left in the third quarter.

South Carolina's depth is once again helping it break the game wide open.

South Carolina 48, NC State 36 with 6:29 left in the third quarter | Kamilla Cardoso not bothered by injury

Kamilla Cardoso wasn't bothered by the injury in the opening minutes of the third quarter. She scored four points on a perfect 2-for-2 shooting as the Gamecocks started building a lead against the Wolfpack. Cardoso logged 20 points on 9-for-11 shooting to lead South Carolina to a 12-point lead that forced NC State into a timeout.

South Carolina 44, NC State 34 with 7:32 left in the third quarter | Gamecocks open third on a run

South Carolina came out of the locker room on a mission and opened the third quarter on a 12-3 run. Te-Hina Paopao and Raven Johnson each knocked down a 3-pointer and Ashlyn Watkins chipped in four points to help build a 10-point lead for the Gamecocks. Johnson had five of the 12 points on a perfect 2-for-2 shooting.

Kamilla Cardoso returns to court after halftime after leaving game with injury

Kamilla Cardoso returned to the court with the team and was shooting around after halftime with a different leg sleeve on her right leg. Cardoso left the game with 1:39 after going down hard on a layup attempt. She was limping and crying when she left the court, but was ready to return to the court after the break.

HALFTIME: South Carolina 32, NC State 31

South Carolina leading scorer Kamilla Cardoso left the court late in the second quarter and headed to the locker room. She led the Gamecocks in scoring in the first half with 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting with seven rebounds. Cardoso was limping on the last few plays before subbing out.

Aziaha James led NC State with 10 points on 3-for-8 shooting. NC State shot only 36.4% before the break and forced South Carolina into 10 turnovers. The Gamecocks shot 43.8% from the field and outrebounded the Wolfpack 22-17.

South Carolina 26, NC State 20 with 5:49 left in the second quarter | Gamecocks feeding Kamilla Cardoso

The message after the first quarter seemed to be feed Kamilla Cardoso in the post. South Carolina found its star center over and over, and Cardoso scored 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting in the first four minutes of the second quarter to give the Gamecocks a 26-20 lead.

End of the first quarter: South Carolina 16, NC State 16

It's all tied up after the first quarter after a 3-pointer from MiLaysia Fulwiley on South Carolina's last possession of the first. The Gamecocks had six players score in the opening frame and had six steals. NC State shot 43.8% from the field and South Carolina shot 41.2%.

NC State 12, South Carolina 9 with 3:11 left in the first quarter | Aziaha James starts off hot from deep

NC State's Aziaha James had the hot hand to start, and her second 3-pointer gave the Wolfpack a 12-9 lead at the first media timeout with 3:11 left in the first. James leads all scorers with six points on 2-for-3 shooting from 3-point range. Kamilla Cardoso leads South Carolina with four points on a perfect 2-for-2 shooting.

Both teams committed four turnovers apiece in the opening seven minutes, and seven of the eight combined turnovers were steals.

South Carolina vs NC State live score updates in Final Four bracket

What channel is South Carolina vs NC State on today? How to watch, stream live

• TV channel: ESPN

• Stream: ESPN app | Fubo TV

The Gamecocks will tip off vs. the Wolfpack on ESPN. Streaming options include Fubo, which offers a free trial. Announcers for the game are Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo and Holly Rowe.

MORE: Watch South Carolina women's basketball vs. NC State in March Madness on Fubo (free trial)

South Carolina vs NC State start time, TV info, location

• Start time: 7 p.m. ET

• TV info: ESPN

• Location: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio

South Carolina vs NC State preview

South Carolina: The Gamecocks are 36-0 and in the Final Four for the fourth consecutive year. Last season, they fell in the Final Four to Iowa. South Carolina won the national championship in 2022.

NC State: The Wolfpack reached the Final Four for the first time in 1998 and the second time in program history. They defeated No. 2 Stanford and No. 1 Texas in back-to-back games to win the Portland Regional 4.

South Carolina vs NC State odds, betting line, spread

Odds according to BetMGM.

• Spread: South Carolina (-11.5)

• Over/under: 139.5

• Moneyline: South Carolina (-800), NC State (+550)

South Carolina vs NC State prediction, game picks

South Carolina 81, NC State 75: South Carolina has enough talent to outlast NC State and move past last season's record. While the Wolfpack will give the Gamecocks a challenge in the Final Four, coach Dawn Staley's team will reach another national championship game.

South Carolina vs NC State stats

South Carolina

• PPG: 85.6

• PPG allowed: 56

• FG%: 49.2%

• 3PT%: 39.4%

• KenPom ranking: No. 1

NC State

• PPG: 73.8

• PPG allowed: 60.2

• FG%: 42.7%

• 3PT%: 32.9%

• KenPom ranking: No. 13

South Carolina vs NC State championship odds

Odds according to BetMGM:

South Carolina: -200

NC State: +1400

South Carolina basketball schedule 2023-24

The past five games of South Carolina's 2023-24 basketball season. For the full schedule, click here

• March 10 vs. LSU (W, 79-72)

• March 22 vs. Presbyterian (W, 91-39)

• March 24 vs. North Carolina (W, 88-41)

• March 29 vs. Indiana (W, 79-75)

• March 31 vs. Oregon State (W, 70-58)

• April 5 vs. NC State (NCAA Tournament Final Four)

NC State basketball schedule 2023-24

The past five games of NC State's 2023-24 basketball season. For the full schedule, click here

• March 10 vs. Notre Dame (L, 55-51)

• March 23 vs. Chattanooga (W, 64-45)

• March 25 vs. Tennessee (W, 79-72)

• March 29 vs. Stanford (W, 77-67)

• March 31 vs. Texas (W, 76-66)

• April 5 vs. South Carolina (NCAA Tournament Final Four)

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This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: South Carolina live score updates vs NC State in Final Four