BIRMINGHAM, Ala. >> South Carolina did just enough to keep its national title defense alive, thanks in large part to MiLaysia Fulwiley.

The sophomore guard scored 23 points, including a go-ahead layup with 2:22 left, and Chloe Kitts added 15 points and 11 rebounds to help the No. 1 seed Gamecocks beat fourth-seeded Maryland 71-67 on Friday in the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

“We’re a resilient group. People thought we had the easiest region. I think so. It’s not easy at all, it gets harder, because we’ve got to play Duke,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. “I just think our team has been through so much. They’re unshakeable, you know. They’re unflappable.”

Staley added that playing in the tough Southeastern Conference gave her team “confidence to be able to be in a tightknit game and find a way to win because that’s what it’s about at this stage of the game.”

The Gamecocks went back-and-forth with the Terrapins all game before finally doing enough in the final few minutes to put it away.

South Carolina will face Duke in the Elite Eight on Sunday. The Blue Devils beat Atlantic Coast Conference rival North Carolina 47-38 earlier Friday.

Staley’s team trailed 60-59 with 3:25 left before holding Maryland without a point over the next three minutes. Fulwiley’s layup began the 7-0 run that gave the Gamecocks (33-3) just enough of a cushion.

Kitts added three free throws during the spurt and Fulwiley scored on a coast-to-coast drive.

Duke beats North Carolina 47-38 and advances to program’s 12th Elite Eight

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. >> Oluchi Okananwa had her third double-double of the season and Duke beat Atlantic Coast Conference rival North Carolina 47-38 in a grind-it-out defensive battle on Friday, sending the Blue Devils to the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

The second-seeded Blue Devils climbed out of an early 11-0 hole to advance to the 12th regional final in program history and first since 2013. Duke will play No. 1 seed and defending champion South Carolina, which beat Maryland 71-67.

“I’ll be honest. I was a little worried down 11-0 and we hadn’t scored at all in the game,” Duke coach Kara Lawson said. “But I don’t think there’s ever been a shutout. I felt pretty good we could score at some point.”

That didn’t come until the four-minute mark of the first, when Jordan Wood drew a foul and made one of two free throws.

Okananwa, a reserve, scored 10 of her 12 points in the first half and had 10 rebounds. Duke (29-7) got 26 points from its bench compared to North Carolina’s six.

“Sitting up here after a loss is disappointing,” North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart said, “especially when you hold your third straight tournament team below 50 points and you don’t win the game.”

Neither team shot the ball well. The 85 points were the fewest combined ever in a regional semifinal. Duke shot 31% after missing its first nine attempts. North Carolina shot 28% from the field.

The last time a team won in the women’s tournament with just 47 points was in the 2008 Final Four when Tennessee beat LSU 47-46. That was also the previous lowest-scoring game in the Sweet 16 or later.

LSU returns to Elite Eight with 80-73 win over N.C. State

SPOKANE, Wash. >> Aneesah Morrow had 30 points and 19 rebounds, Kailyn Gilbert had a critical block that set up Mikaylah Williams’ go-ahead layup with 1:07 remaining, and No. 3 seed LSU rallied past second-seeded N.C. State 80-73 in a tense women’s NCAA Tournament regional semifinal.

The Wolfpack led 69-64 with 4:29 left before LSU began to surge, led by Williams, who scored 10 points in the fourth quarter. After Gilbert blocked a layup attempt by N.C. State’s Zoe Brooks, Williams converted on the other end to make it 74-73 — part of a game-closing 10-0 run for the Tigers (31-5).

LSU, which won the national title two years ago for coach Kim Mulkey, reached the Elite Eight for the third consecutive season and will face either top-seeded UCLA or No. 5 Mississippi on Sunday. Mulkey also won three national titles at Baylor.

“I think all these close games, it benefits us to have been in them, but I don’t like them particularly,” Mulkey said. “I like to relax on the sideline and let (the players) relax, but you get to this level, there’s too many good teams.”

Sa’Myah Smith had 21 points and 11 rebounds for LSU, and Williams finished with 17 points and eight boards.