“You’re not gonna play a team that doesn’t belong here that didn’t earn the right to be here. So, if there’s time on the clock, they’re gonna play until the end,” said Dawn Staley about her Gamecocks’ Sweet 16 opponents, Maryland. And that’s exactly what we’ve seen today. The Terrapins gave South Carolina a run for their money.
Staley has built South Carolina women’s basketball into one of the nation’s most dominant programs over the years, guiding them to six Final Fours in the last nine NCAA Tournaments. During her 16 seasons there, she’s already brought in three national championships and is aiming for her 4th this season. But Maryland weren’t backing down.
Kaylene Smikle and Shy Sellers were the stars of the night. Maryland headed into the locker room with a slim 2-point lead at half time. They’d turned the ball over 14 times, giving up 11 fast break points. It wasn’t proving to be a good day in the office for Staley.
But things could’ve been worse for the Gamecocks before they punched another ticket to the Elite Eight 71-67. At least, that’s what the fans think!
Fans fume as the refs reportedly cut Dawn Staley and co. slack
One fan was clearly unhappy with the way the refs were officiating the game. They took to X to vent out their frustrations, saying, “Brenda Frese has to be so frustrated with the NCAA refs giving these calls to South Carolina.” Another fan joined in, expressing the same, “The refs are cheating for South Carolina. Maryland should be up by double digits right now.”
Brenda Frese has to be so frustrated with the NCAA refs giving these calls to South Carolina.
— Chris Raine (@CraineRaine) March 28, 2025
What’s interesting is that South Carolina went into the half conceding 6 more fouls than Maryland. They had 11, while Maryland had just 5. But things shifted. The refs called Maryland for traveling a few times, but not South Carolina, bringing their total to 19 while the Gamecocks ended with 18. This is what another fan says as well: “South Carolina is traveling every possession and it’s only called on Maryland. Maryland is going to the paint and not getting calls and South Carolina is taking jump shots.” Another agreed with, “They don’t Call Shit on South Carolina.”
Maryland could’ve easily been up by double digits, but that doesn’t have much to do with the refs. It’s more to do with their shooting. They went 4-13 from beyond the arc. When you’re hitting just 30% from three, it’s hard to build a big lead, especially against the defending champions.
Another fan was visibly frustrated with how the refs officiated throughout the game. They said, “bruh they tryna give south carolina so many chances.” While there’s some truth to that, Maryland was dominated in the paint. Dawn Staley’s side out-rebounded the Terps by 13, and that made all the difference. South Carolina’s hunger for those 50-50 chances played a key role in their win.
It’s easy to see why fans were upset with the officiating, but honestly, this happens in every game. If Maryland had shot better and fought harder for the boards, they might have pulled off the upset of the season. But it just wasn’t meant to be!
The post Calls Mount Against NCAA Officials as College Basketball Community Outraged Over Major Injustice Suffered by Brenda Frese Vs Dawn Staley appeared first on EssentiallySports.