Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in EnglishBIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Dawn Staley lit into MiLaysia Fulwiley. It was the third quarter of a close game that could’ve ended South Carolina’s attempt to repeat as national champions and Fulwiley was dying on screens. She was playing behind and giving up easy entry passes with an Elite Eight berth on the line.If the same situation happened two months ago, Fulwiley “wouldn’t be able to recover,” Staley said. The flashy sophomore guard with the best ability of any Gamecock to manufacture her own shots would have shut down. South Carolina would have gone home early.Advertisement“The kitchen gets hot when you’re trying to survive in the NCAA tournament,” Staley said. “So she’s gotta handle that.”In her second year, Fulwiley embraced the heat of her head coach and flourished as the Gamecocks’ escape valve. They needed it in a 71-67 win over No. 4 Maryland that clinched an Elite Eight clash with No. 2 Duke on Sunday. Fulwiley scored 16 of her game-high 23 points in the second half, and doubled up any other Gamecock with 11 in the pivotal fourth quarter.Her ability to weave and cut in transition is difficult to stop. In the waning minute of the third quarter of a tie game, Fulwiley went behind-the-back and stopped on a dime to hit a floater.“She’s got a lot of gall to try some of the stuff she does, but it’s part of who she is,” Staley said. “It’s hard to guard and it’s hard to double because she has really good court vision and she’s got [a] really good ability to make layups in traffic, passes in traffic.”AdvertisementWhen the Terps attempted to cut her off, Fulwiley found the open player she knew had to be waiting somewhere. As is the Fulwiley way, she delivered with more behind-the-back pizzazz that pushed the Gamecock-heavy crowd to their feet.“They were like, come on, come on, she’s not going to score this and I just let my confidence finish the rest and it went in,” Fulwiley said. “So I was excited to prove my haters wrong.”Fulwiley said she’s heard the speculation and questions about her game. She’s second on her team with an average of 11.8 points but comes off the bench on a roster loaded with talent. She hasn’t always taken over games the way she can.Advertisement“I realized it’s up to nobody but myself to go out there and just make something shake,” Fulwiley said. “And that’s really how it’s been. I’ve been taking [Staley’s] criticism, her coaching, and just listening and digesting and using it in my game, instead of complaining or trying to find a reason as to why she’s wrong.”It was ahead of the 2024 Final Four that Fulwiley locked in and began to follow the coaching staff’s lead.“That’s when I realized winning was the main picture, and I didn’t really see that, honestly,” Fulwiley said.Fifth-year senior Te-Hina Paopao said saw the turnaround in Fulwiley during the NCAA tournament a year ago. As a freshman, she said Fulwiley would have been upset with the guidance or how she played.Advertisement“Sophomore [Fulwiley], you can see the burst of confidence in her and the aura that she brings to us on this court,” Paopao said.The point guard is in Fulwiley’s ear more this year, knowing she’s capable and wants to learn.Fulwiley said she had to learn a more mental and physical toughness. Staley isn’t always going to deliver it in a soft tone. As was the case against Maryland, the message can come across in screams and strong, stern direction.“I think sometimes players like myself kind of think you know it all,” Fulwiley said. “And when you’re able to sit and listen to your coach and understand it and take it, and understand you have to be better regardless of what you see out there and how you think it should have went and how you think you should play, we have to keep going.”AdvertisementStaley’s first question after a classic survive-and-advance March battle was about Fulwiley. Her first response was that the guard “just wants to win.” When it’s win-or-go-home, Fulwiley locks into the goal.Neither Staley nor Paopao care much about Fulwiley getting caught up in taking bad shots, which she did on 3-pointers early in the shot clock of a one-possession game.“She makes a living off of making bad shots, which is good,” Staley said. “Everybody is not capable of doing that.”It’s that when Staley needs to find a flow and fluidity, as she did out of the half when her starters weren’t meshing, she can draw it out of Fulwiley in a way she couldn’t before.Advertisement“I think she is just continuing to grow,” Staley said. “The bigger the stage, I think the more she wants to shine.”Fulwiley is learning how to cook in a hotter kitchen now.
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