Camila Cardoso suffers knee injury and returns for South Carolina in the Final Four

Cleveland – South Carolina Camila Cardoso She helped get South Carolina back into the national championship game after injuring her right knee in the second quarter of the first Final Four game on Friday.

The Gamecocks stifled the Wolfpack 78-59. Cardozo finished with 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting. She pulled down 11 rebounds and blocked two shots.

Cardoso, who limped after falling under the basket with about two minutes left in the second quarter, returned after halftime wearing a large wrap on her right leg.

She was grimacing as she ran up and down the court, but she seemed to be moving better as the third quarter went on. Cardoso started the fourth quarter on the bench with a brace up the sleeve. She also spent some time on the bike.

The 6-foot-7 center had already scored 16 points in 15 minutes of action and helped South Carolina lead 32-31 at halftime before her injury.

She fumbled on two trips down the court, but fouled out with 1:39 to play — perhaps so she could get out of the game.

She jumped off the floor and went back to the locker room immediately.

One of the best defensive players in the country who has noticeably improved on the offensive end, her size impacts every position defensively, with opposing teams hesitant to drive to the rim or even pull up in the paint due to her ability to change up her shot. .

Cardoso He played in 31 games this season, averaging 14.1 points on 58.9% shooting, 9.4 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 2.1 assists per game.

Cardoso declared for the WNBA draft on April 1.