TAMPA, Fla. — South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards fed Tessa Johnson, who put up a 3-pointer near the 4:42 mark of the fourth quarter Friday night. 

If there was any sliver of hope that Texas might be able to shoot its way back into this Final Four game, it left the building with the swish of the net and the screams from the fans behind South Carolina’s bench. 

“That’s the one that just took over,” Sania Feagin said. “That was the time I felt like, ‘We’re good.’ ” 

The Gamecocks bounced back from a rocky start to overpower the Longhorns in the second half for the 74-57 win. 

They’ll compete for their second consecutive title — and third in four years — on Sunday against UConn at Amalie Arena. 

“There’s no words to describe it,” Te-Hina Paopao said of being on the doorstep of another national championship. “But we also know that the job’s not done and it’s gonna be a 40-minute battle no matter who wins out there [Friday]. And so we just gotta know that we gotta play with heart and effort and attitude.” 

Paopao led the team with 14 points and Edwards bounced back from a shaky Elite Eight game to pace the Gamecocks with 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. 

Texas had the edge out of the gates and led by as many as eight points. But Madison Booker picking up her second foul at the 3:25 mark of the first quarter changed everything for the Longhorns. 

South Carolina chipped away at Texas’ lead. 

The Longhorns were up by two when Booker picked up her third foul late in the second quarter.

By halftime, South Carolina held a 38-35 lead. 

Booker was limited to nine minutes in the first half and finished with 11 points in 24 minutes. 

Bree Hall wasn’t nervous about picking up the tough defensive assignment of Booker, but she was thanking God in the locker room after the win that South Carolina was able to knock her out of sync. 

“I know what she does and my team poured into me,” said Hall, who finished with 11 points. “I am so happy.” 

South Carolina outscored Texas 20-9 in the third quarter before slamming the door on Texas in the fourth. 

“It’s very relieving,” MiLaysia Fulwiley said. “When you win a game like this in the Final Four, that’s got to put a lot of confidence into each and every one of us and it just shows us who we are as a team.” 

Fulwiley felt calmer heading into the Final Four last year than she did this time around.

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South Carolina has lost three times this season — and each of those winners made it to Tampa. 

So as much as this weekend’s performance is about becoming the first team to win back-to-back national championships since Connecticut won four straight from 2013-2016, it’s also about revenge. 

“It feels really good to be back here again,” Feagin said. “Everybody dreams of this moment and we’ve been able to do it, so I can say it feels good and I feel like we’re ready.” 

South Carolina will play the winner of the UCLA-UConn game Sunday. 

The Gamecocks are 3-0 in NCAA Tournament title games under Dawn Staley.

But her track record doesn’t make preparing for the final game of the season any easier. 

“I don’t even bring it up,” Staley said. “It’s just singularly focused on winning a game… I think playing in the game and seeing how the game is being played out, it’s the only thing that’s going to help us.”