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Photo: John Carl D'Annibale, Albany Times Union
South Carolina's #21 Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, right, and Buffalo's #1 Stephanie Reid battle under the basket during their NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament regional semifinal at the Times Union Center Saturday March 24, 2018 in Albany, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale/Times Union)
lessSouth Carolina's #21 Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, right, and Buffalo's #1 Stephanie Reid battle under the basket during their NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament regional semifinal at the Times Union Center Saturday
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Buffalo's #21 Mariah Suchan tries for a way around South Carolina's #22 A'ja Wilson, left, during their NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament regional semifinal at the Times Union Center Saturday March 24, 2018 in Albany, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale/Times Union)
lessBuffalo's #21 Mariah Suchan tries for a way around South Carolina's #22 A'ja Wilson, left, during their NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament regional semifinal at the Times Union Center Saturday March 24, 2018 in
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South Carolina's #22 A'ja Wilson, left, and Buffalo's #24 Cierra Dillard battle for a loose ball during their NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament regional semifinal at the Times Union Center Saturday March 24, 2018 in Albany, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale/Times Union)
lessSouth Carolina's #22 A'ja Wilson, left, and Buffalo's #24 Cierra Dillard battle for a loose ball during their NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament regional semifinal at the Times Union Center Saturday March 24,
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South Carolina's #24 Lele Grissett, left, and Buffalo's #1 Stephanie Reid during their NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament regional semifinal at the Times Union Center Saturday March 24, 2018 in Albany, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale/Times Union)
lessSouth Carolina's #24 Lele Grissett, left, and Buffalo's #1 Stephanie Reid during their NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament regional semifinal at the Times Union Center Saturday March 24, 2018 in Albany, NY.
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South Carolina's #21 Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, left, and Buffalo's #0 Summer Hemphill battle for a loose ball during their NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament regional semifinal at the Times Union Center Saturday March 24, 2018 in Albany, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale/Times Union)
lessSouth Carolina's #21 Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, left, and Buffalo's #0 Summer Hemphill battle for a loose ball during their NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament regional semifinal at the Times Union Center Saturday
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South Carolina's #21 Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, right, and Buffalo's #1 Stephanie Reid battle under the basket during their NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament regional semifinal at the Times Union Center Saturday March 24, 2018 in Albany, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale/Times Union)
lessSouth Carolina's #21 Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, right, and Buffalo's #1 Stephanie Reid battle under the basket during their NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament regional semifinal at the Times Union Center Saturday
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Buffalo head coach Felisha Legette-Jack calls out to her team during the first half of a regional semifinal against South Carolina at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Albany, N.Y.
lessBuffalo head coach Felisha Legette-Jack calls out to her team during the first half of a regional semifinal against South Carolina at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Saturday, March 24, 2018, in
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South Carolina's Alexis Jennings, center, looks to shoot as Buffalo's Katherine Ups, right, and Cassie Oursler, left, defend during the first half in a regional semifinal at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Albany, N.Y.
lessSouth Carolina's Alexis Jennings, center, looks to shoot as Buffalo's Katherine Ups, right, and Cassie Oursler, left, defend during the first half in a regional semifinal at the NCAA women's college basketball
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South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley reacts during the first half of a regional semifinal against Buffalo at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Albany, N.Y.
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley reacts during the first half of a regional semifinal against Buffalo at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Albany, N.Y.
Photo: Frank Franklin II, AP
Buffalo's Cierra Dillard, right, and South Carolina's Lele Grissett, left, fight for control of the ball during the first half in a regional semifinal at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Albany, N.Y.
lessBuffalo's Cierra Dillard, right, and South Carolina's Lele Grissett, left, fight for control of the ball during the first half in a regional semifinal at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Saturday,
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South Carolina's Alexis Jennings (35) reacts after scoring during the first half in a regional semifinal against Buffalo at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Albany, N.Y.
lessSouth Carolina's Alexis Jennings (35) reacts after scoring during the first half in a regional semifinal against Buffalo at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Albany,
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South Carolina's A'ja Wilson (22) drives past Buffalo's Cassie Oursler (31) during the first half in a regional semifinal at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Albany, N.Y.
lessSouth Carolina's A'ja Wilson (22) drives past Buffalo's Cassie Oursler (31) during the first half in a regional semifinal at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Albany,
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South Carolina's A'ja Wilson (22) fights for control of the ball with Buffalo's Cassie Oursler, right, during the first half in a regional semifinal at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Albany, N.Y.
lessSouth Carolina's A'ja Wilson (22) fights for control of the ball with Buffalo's Cassie Oursler, right, during the first half in a regional semifinal at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Saturday,
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Buffalo's Cassie Oursler (31) passes the ball away from South Carolina's Tyasha Harris as Summer Hemphill (0) reacts during the first half in a regional semifinal at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Albany, N.Y.
lessBuffalo's Cassie Oursler (31) passes the ball away from South Carolina's Tyasha Harris as Summer Hemphill (0) reacts during the first half in a regional semifinal at the NCAA women's college basketball
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Buffalo's Katherine Ups (5) defends against South Carolina's A'ja Wilson (22) during the first half in a regional semifinal at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Albany, N.Y.
lessBuffalo's Katherine Ups (5) defends against South Carolina's A'ja Wilson (22) during the first half in a regional semifinal at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Albany,
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Buffalo's Stephanie Reid, left, and Katherine Ups, right, defend against South Carolina's A'ja Wilson (22) during the first half in a regional semifinal at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Albany, N.Y.
lessBuffalo's Stephanie Reid, left, and Katherine Ups, right, defend against South Carolina's A'ja Wilson (22) during the first half in a regional semifinal at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament,
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South Carolina beats Buffalo, advances to Albany Regional final
Albany
In the end, the South Carolina women's basketball team was too big, too strong, too athletic and just too good.
That's why the Gamecocks, the second-seeded team in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament's Albany Region, get to stay in town for the rest of the weekend.
South Carolina continued to defend its national title as the Gamecocks shook off pesky Buffalo 79-63 in a Sweet 16 semifinal game in front of 10,310 at Times Union Center on Saturday.
The win puts South Carolina (29-6) in Monday night's Albany Regional title game against top-seeded Connecticut. The winner gets a trip to the Final Four starting Friday in Columbus, Ohio.
"I'm excited to get back to the Elite Eight," said South Carolina coach Dawn Staley. "I don't know a lot of people outside of our camp who thought we would be here today. It's always good to prove others wrong and be odds-beaters."
The Gamecocks will be trying to get back to the Final Four for the third time in the past four years. South Carolina beat Mississippi State for the title last year and lost in the national semifinals to Notre Dame in 2015.
South Carolina is 0-6 all-time against UConn. The Huskies beat the Gamecocks 83-58 at South Carolina this season.
South Carolina plays on because of the play of 6-foot-5 A'ja Wilson, the best player in the women's game, and 6-3 Alexis Jennings. Those two just overwhelmed the smaller Bulls and, as the game wore on, it became more and more apparent that Buffalo could not handle them.
Those two are not only very big, but very athletic.
"They were quite large," said Buffalo's 5-6 senior point guard Stephanie Reid.
South Carolina outrebounded Buffalo 48-21. Fifty-two of the Gamecocks' points came from inside the paint. Buffalo was as gritty as it could be, but the Bulls just did not have the bulk to fight back.
"We lost the rebounding as a team," said Buffalo junior guard Cierra Dillard, who led all scorers with 29 points. "It's not any one player or any two players. I think Buffalo did an unbelievable job of staying with them, and we gave it our all."
The Gamecocks took a 40-31 lead at halftime as Jennings (12 points) and Wilson (10 points, eight rebounds) kept on pounding Buffalo on the glass. The tallest of the Bulls' starters was 6-3 Cassie Oursler.
"We just did what we do best," said Jennings, who made seven of 11 shots from the field, most from in close. "We just used our advantage."
"Everyone kind of knows that is our bread and butter," said Wilson, who was not as automatic as she normally is and also was guilty of eight turnovers. "It's hard to stop us in ways."
Buffalo (29-6), a No. 11-seed from the Mid-American Conference, got to Albany by upsetting No. 6 South Florida and No. 3 Florida State last weekend in Tallahassee, Fla.
As dominating as the Gamecocks were, the Bulls were just as pesky. Buffalo, which only led once after the first quarter, never quit. And coach Felisha Legette-Jack's team may have put a scare into the Gamecocks early in the final 10 minutes.
A layup by Buffalo's Autumn Jones cut the South Carolina lead to 55-50 13 seconds into the fourth quarter. Then came opportunity after opportunity after opportunity.
Three straight possessions for the Bulls resulted in a missed shot, a turnover and a shot being blocked. After that, South Carolina went on a 5-2 run and the lead continued to grow from there.
"You only want to hope," Leggette-Jack said. "We could not have done one extra thing. We have not had an excuse since the beginning, and we will not have an excuse at the end. The better team won."
