South Carolina Gamecocks in the WNBA Semifinals: Former Stars Chase a Spot in the Finals

The South Carolina Gamecocks players in the WNBA semifinals are down to three contenders, but the path to the championship is guaranteed to include at least one familiar name from Columbia.

The WNBA semifinals begin Sunday, with Atlanta and Golden State carrying former South Carolina stars into the league’s final four. Three of the four remaining teams have a Gamecock on the roster, meaning South Carolina will have representation in the WNBA Finals.

The semifinals are best-of-five series, setting up two high-stakes matchups with everything from veteran leadership to emerging talent on display.

Atlanta Dream: Allisha Gray leads the charge

The Atlanta Dream finished the regular season 30-14 as the No. 4 seed, and former Gamecock Allisha Gray remains one of the team’s most important players.

Gray started all 44 games and averaged 19.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals in 32.6 minutes per game. She has been the steady hand Atlanta turns to when possessions become tight and every shot feels heavier.

That was evident in Atlanta’s first-round sweep of Washington.

Gray scored 22 points in both games, adding four steals and three assists in the second matchup. She played 35 minutes in each contest, once again showing why she remains such a central piece of the Dream’s attack.

Two other former Gamecocks are also on Atlanta’s roster.

Madina Okot averaged 5.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per game during the regular season. Her role is limited, but she made an impact in the opening round, producing four points, five rebounds, a steal and a block in seven minutes during Game 1.

Te-Hina Paopao, meanwhile, averaged 3.7 points and 1.4 assists while shooting 35.7% from three-point range. Her playing time was limited against Washington as Jordin Canada delivered a strong performance from the starting spot.

Atlanta now faces the New York Liberty. The Dream went 2-1 against New York during the regular season, with both victories coming during the final week and by double-digit margins.

Atlanta-New York semifinal schedule

• Sunday, Oct. 4: vs. New York, 2 p.m. ET — ABC
• Wednesday, Oct. 7: vs. New York, 7:30 p.m. ET — ESPN
• Friday, Oct. 9: at New York, 7:30 p.m. ET — ESPN2
• Sunday, Oct. 11: at New York, TBD — ABC, if necessary
• Wednesday, Oct. 14: vs. New York, TBD — ESPN, if necessary

Golden State Valkyries: Amihere faces a tougher matchup

The Golden State Valkyries enter the semifinals as the No. 2 seed after finishing 32-12.

Former South Carolina forward Laeticia Amihere averaged 3.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 11.7 minutes per game during the regular season.

Her role shrank dramatically in the first round against Dallas.

Amihere appeared for six minutes in Golden State’s 104-80 Game 1 victory, grabbing one rebound. She did not play in either of the final two games as the Valkyries adjusted their rotation based on matchups.

That could change against Las Vegas.

The Valkyries face the No. 3-seeded Aces, a team that swept Golden State 3-0 during the regular season. Amihere’s size, defensive versatility and ability to contribute around the basket could become more valuable in a series featuring some of the league’s biggest stars.

Golden State-Las Vegas semifinal schedule

• Sunday, Oct. 4: vs. Las Vegas, 4 p.m. ET — NBC/Peacock
• Wednesday, Oct. 7: vs. Las Vegas, 9:30 p.m. ET — Peacock/NBCSN
• Friday, Oct. 9: at Las Vegas, 9:30 p.m. ET — Peacock/NBCSN
• Sunday, Oct. 11: at Las Vegas, TBD — NBC/Peacock, if necessary
• Wednesday, Oct. 14: vs. Las Vegas, TBD — Peacock/NBCSN, if necessary

Indiana Fever’s season ends in Las Vegas

The Indiana Fever’s playoff run is over after the No. 6 seed pushed Las Vegas to an elimination game before falling 94-83.

Former Gamecocks Aliyah Boston and Raven Johnson both made significant contributions during the series.

Boston had another outstanding postseason performance. She averaged 16.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.5 steals during the regular season while shooting 40.6% from three.

Against Las Vegas, she scored 18, 22 and 19 points in the three games while producing 10 rebounds and two blocks in the elimination game.

Across the series, Boston shot 58.1% from the field and 45.5% from three-point range.

Johnson also emerged as an important contributor. She scored 14 points with two steals in Game 1, added six points, two rebounds, a steal and a block in Game 2, and finished with two points and four rebounds in the finale.

Her plus-minus numbers told an even stronger story: Johnson ranked among Indiana’s most effective players in all three games.

Tyasha Harris did not play in the series because of a left-leg injury, while Bree Hall was inactive for all three games.

A’ja Wilson puts on another playoff masterpiece

While the Fever’s season ended, former Gamecock superstar A’ja Wilson continued her remarkable postseason run.

Wilson was nearly unstoppable against Indiana, averaging 32.0 points per game on 64.6% shooting across the three-game series.

In Game 1, she erupted for 38 points and 16 rebounds while shooting 75% from the field, becoming the first player in WNBA history to record at least 35 points, 15 rebounds and 75% shooting in a playoff game.

She followed that with 22 points, nine rebounds and three steals in Game 2 before closing the series with 36 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.

Wilson has now recorded seven playoff games with at least 30 points and a double-double, more than twice the total of Breanna Stewart, who has three.

Her dominance has placed another major individual award firmly in the spotlight, with the league yet to officially announce when Wilson will receive her fifth MVP award.

South Carolina’s WNBA connection continues

With Indiana eliminated, the Gamecock contingent has been reduced, but the stakes are higher than ever.

Gray, Okot and Paopao are chasing a Finals berth with Atlanta. Amihere is trying to carve out a larger role as Golden State takes on Las Vegas.

And regardless of how those two series unfold, South Carolina is guaranteed to have at least one former player in the WNBA Finals.

For Gamecock fans, that makes Sunday more than the beginning of another playoff round. It is another chapter in the growing professional legacy of South Carolina women’s basketball—and the South Carolina Gamecocks players in the WNBA semifinals are right in the middle of it.