BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — For a while, it seemed Maryland could do it. There was belief in the building that the Terrapins could beat the mighty South Carolina Gamecocks in the NCAA tournament.

The possibility seemed to brush reality in the second quarter, with 3:29 to play, when Elkton native Allie Kubek received a feed from Kaylene Smikle and confidently shot a 3-pointer. The shot banked in, giving Maryland a four-point advantage, and Kubek gave a soft shrug, flipping her right hand up as she backpedaled to get set on defense, as if the shot was easy work.

At halftime, Brenda Frese’s fourth-seeded Terps led Dawn Staley’s No. 1 Gamecocks 33-31.

But the reigning national champions erased Maryland’s hopes. No, this would not be the day the Gamecocks would be the victims of a historic March Madness upset.

Despite 17 points from Smikle, Maryland fell 71-67 in the Sweet 16 on Friday in Legacy Arena. South Carolina will match up with one of the Terps’ old Atlantic Coast Conference rivals, second-seeded Duke, on Sunday.

“We wanted to pack the paint, battle on the glass, and I thought we did that to the very end,” Frese said. “So I know we’re disappointed, because we felt like through the journey and through this game that we had a chance to be able to move on, but we hold our head high just given how we played tonight.”

For Maryland, the result marks its sixth straight loss to South Carolina, a stretch that goes back to 2019. It’s the second time the Gamecocks have eliminated the Terps from the NCAA tournament. The first was in the 2023 Elite Eight.

The defeat also marks the end of Shyanne Sellers’ career in a Maryland uniform. The four-time All-Big Ten selection finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

“Having a kid in your program for four years isn’t the norm anymore, and Shy has been someone who has been incredibly loyal when you talk about her trust and her love for our program.,” Frese said. “I mean, she is a competitor. She is a person that we’ve been able to challenge throughout the course of her career, and she has risen to the occasion every single time.”

It was also likely the final game for Sarah Te-Biasu, Mir McLean, Christina Dalce and Amari DeBerry, who have seemingly exhausted their eligibility. Next season, this Maryland squad will look very different. The transfer portal for women’s basketball opened this week.

In their final game as Terrapins, Te-Biasu and Kubek scored 12 points apiece.

“I think we executed the game plan to a T. Came down to we missed more free throws than we usually do and then a couple of stops at the end,” Sellers said. “But, ultimately, I’m super proud of this group, proud of the way we fought. People thought we were going to get crushed by 20. I think we set the record straight to stop doubting Maryland.”

The Terps took their largest lead of the game, seven points, with 7:26 to go in the third quarter when Dalce connected on a hook shot from the paint.

But the Terps couldn’t stop MiLaysia Fulwiley, the playmaking sophomore who comes off South Carolina’s deep bench. Fulwiley, an Associated Press honorable mention All-American, steered South Carolina with 23 points, five rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes. Meanwhile, Chloe Kitts had 15 points and 11 rebounds for South Carolina.

“We tried to corral her with two or three players. It didn’t matter,” Frese said of Fulwiley. “Nobody in the country has anyone to be able to match that kind of speed. … I thought she was no question the most valuable player in this game.”

In a stretch of the third quarter, Fulwiley swished a 3-pointer, made a free throw and then spun around Kubek before dropping off an assist to Te-Hina Paopao, whose layup gave South Carolina a 46-45 lead and made the crowd roar.

Even after that 7-0 run, Maryland showed life. A few moments later, Te-Biasu poked the ball away from Fulwiley, beat her in a footrace to the other end of the court and connected on a 3-pointer from the left wing to give the Terps the lead again.

However, Fulwiley continued to get to the rim seemingly whenever she wanted to and the Terps didn’t have an answer for her off the dribble.

“You put the ball in her hands and you just allow her to create her magic,” Staley said of Fulwiley. “She’s so dynamic. … You got to go to your bench and find somebody that can get the job done.”

But still, with 2:31 to play in the game, Maryland led. Moments before, Kubek had shrugged again — this time more forcefully — when she fouled out on a questionable call.

“It was really impactful when we lost Allie,” Frese said. “It was a very physical game.”

Out of a South Carolina timeout, Fulwiley dropped in a layup, and then Sellers was called for a charge. She gasped and laughed. The Maryland senior couldn’t believe the call.

About 50 seconds later, Fulwiley stepped through a gaggle of Maryland defenders for another layup, pushing South Carolina’s lead to four. A pair of free throws from Kitts increased the Gamecocks’ advantage to six.

Saylor Poffenbarger hit a 3-pointer with 25 seconds to play, ending a scoring drought for the Terrapins that lasted nearly three minutes, but Maryland couldn’t pull even again in the waning moments.

Maryland, which is fourth in the nation in free throws made this season, attempted 16 shots from the charity stripe in the first half and just two in the second half. The Terps also matched South Carolina point for point in the paint at 32-32. Each team made just four 3-pointers. South Carolina’s bench, led by Fulwiley, outscored Maryland’s 40-14.

This story has been updated.