Maryam Dauda Answers the Call, Sparks South Carolina’s Final Four Victory
Coaches across all sports preach the same mantra: Be ready when your number is called. It’s a familiar phrase—often overused—but for Maryam Dauda, it couldn’t have been more fitting on Friday night.
In South Carolina’s 74-57 win over Texas to advance to the national championship, Dauda delivered in a moment few saw coming.
The reserve forward logged 16 minutes, tying her season high set way back in Game 3 against Coppin State.
“I’m super proud of her,” said teammate Te-Hina Paopao. “She’s trusted her process, her journey, and played great minutes today… She did a really good job on the post players, on both ends, and showed up big on a big stage.”
Dauda entered midway through the first quarter—an unusual early appearance for the junior, who typically averages just 6.2 minutes per game. At that moment, the Gamecocks trailed 10-4.
“We came in and kind of started off slow, and I felt like I had to go in there and give my team a spark,” Dauda said. “And that’s what I did going in the first quarter.”
Dawn Staley’s original game plan didn’t feature heavy minutes for Dauda. But with Chloe Kitts and Sania Feagin in early foul trouble, Dauda was thrust into action. She closed out the first quarter with two rebounds, a point, and an assist, helping cut the deficit to just 19-18.
“She goes out there, she does exactly what she’s asked to do,” said Kitts. “She plays hard.”
Dauda finished with four points, including a clutch corner 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, along with three rebounds. Her +13 plus/minus rating ranked third-highest on the team.
“She’s the MVP of the game today,” said Paopao. “She’s got to keep that confidence going… It’s something new to her, but she’s doing great.”
This isn’t the first time Dauda has seized her moment. In the SEC Tournament semifinals against Oklahoma, she played 12 critical minutes, tallying five points, three rebounds, three steals, and two blocks, and neutralizing Raegan Beers.
“I just feel like I have to stay ready,” Dauda said. “Whenever I go in, I have to help my team—trust myself, trust my teammates, and trust Coach Staley to put me in the right position at the right time.”
A former Arkansas Razorback, Dauda had never appeared in the NCAA Tournament before this season—let alone a Final Four. But you wouldn’t have known it from how she played.
“It doesn’t even look like this is her first Final Four,” said Raven Johnson. “It looked like she’s been here several times… She was calm, poised, and ready. I’m so proud of her—we need that from her.”
Dauda’s role this year has been far smaller than at Arkansas, where she averaged 28.7 minutes and 10.1 points per game, but she’s adapted and persevered.
Now, with the Gamecocks one win away from a national championship, she’s embracing the mome
