No. 1 South Carolina escaped Palo Alto with a narrow 76–71 win over No. 2 Stanford (4–1) on Sunday in a marquee battle of the unbeatens and last two national champions.
The Gamecocks (5–0) rallied from a 12-point deficit to tie the game 61–61 and send it to overtime following a clutch jumper from star forward Aliyah Boston. The back-and-forth affair came down to the wire as the two powerhouses looked for an edge, which South Carolina appeared within reach of with a 73–71 lead with 24 seconds to play.
Gamecocks guard Brea Beal looked to slam the door shut at the free throw line with five seconds on the clock but gave Stanford life after missing both attempts.