South Carolina says yes ‘oui’ can in win over Notre Dame in Paris

The South Carolina Gamcocks and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish played the first-ever NCAA regular-season basketball game in Paris.

The South Carolina Gamecocks and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish played the first NCAA women’s basketball regular-season game in Europe. The Gamecocks walked away with the win, defeating Notre Dame, 100-71, in Paris, France.

“It was really a blank canvas,” said Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley, who posed in front of Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece Mona Lisa at the Louvre a few days before the game. “But the chemistry that they’re building is very special.”

South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso had 20 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks, and freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley had 17 points. Five Gamecocks finished in double figures. For the Fighting Irish, Hannah Hidalgo, in her collegiate debut, posted 31 points.

The game drew the attention of notable names in basketball, including Magic Johnson and Kevin Durant. Other notable players and former Gamecocks legends such as Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke also tuned into the game.

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Notre Dame crushed by South Carolina in Paris to open season

Yep, the season officially is on.

Even with a healthy [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag], Notre Dame would have been an underdog against South Carolina in the season opener in Paris. After all, the Gamecocks have a better recent track record and a higher preseason ranking.

Whether Miles would have made a difference for the Irish on Monday will remain a mystery. All we know is they’re off to an 0-1 start after a 100-71 blowout loss to the Gamecocks, the first NCAA game ever to be played in the City of Lights.

Freshman phenom [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] scored 13 of her game-high 31 points in the first quarter, leading the Irish to a 25-24 lead after the first 10 minutes. The second quarter was a completely different story as the Gamecocks outscored the Irish, 24-8, and never looked back. In fact, the deficit only continued to balloon from there.

The Gamecocks held considerable advantages over the Irish in many statistical categories. This included bench points (30-10), points in the paint (62-18), fast-break points (24-6), blocks (11-3) and assists (28-10). In short, the Irish were completely outplayed, outworked and outhustled after the first quarter, and it was obvious to anyone watching.

Kamilla Cardoso did the most damage for the Gamecocks with an astonishing line of 20 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks. Freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley was equally lethal with 17 points, six assists, six steals and one of the smoothest moves you’ll ever see anywhere:

The move even got Magic Johnson’s attention:

Three other Gamecocks also reached double figures in scoring, and two of those players had at least six assists. It proved just how many complete players Dawn Staley is lucky to coach.

[autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] and [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] were the two other Irish players to score in double figures with 12 points apiece.

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South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso had a priceless unfazed reaction to Diamond Miller’s blatant flop

You just know a flop when you see one.

There were plenty of notable points to undefeated South Carolina women’s basketball’s 86-75 win over Maryland. Another dynamite performance from Aliyah Boston (22 points, 10 rebounds, five assists). Meanwhile, Dawn Staley, predictably, kept it classy before even deigning to talk about Iowa in the Final Four.

But likely lost in the shuffle of victory was an exchange between the Gamecocks’ Kamilla Cardoso and Maryland’s Diamond Miller. As Miller tried to establish positioning on Cardoso, the South Carolina forward gave her a light push, with all things considered.

Yet, Miller went flying. Hilariously, Cardoso didn’t even bother arguing the obvious flop as she just stood in place, letting her arm hang before Miller got back up and regathered herself.

Incredible. Note what seems to be a slight smile on Miller’s face as she approaches Cardoso again. Talk about not getting away with one with a seasoned veteran on the best team in the country.

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