Brea Beal develops into a top WNBA prospect as South Carolina career winds down in March Madness

In the first half of South Carolina women's basketball's Sweet 16 matchup with 4-seed UCLA, senior guard Brea Beal took over.

Beal put up 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal before halftime, but arguably more impressive was her complete shutdown of Bruins stars Charisma Osborne and Kiki Rice. Osborne, who scored 24 points in UCLA's November game against South Carolina, was held to just two in the first half and ultimately finished below her season average with 14. Rice put up 15 points in three quarters in the first meeting but had just three points and two turnovers on Saturday.

The Gamecocks (35-0) earned a decisive 59-43 win over the Bruins (27-10) at Bon Secours Wellness Arena to advance to the Elite Eight for the fourth time in five tournaments. They face 2-seed Maryland on Monday (7 p.m., ESPN), also in Greenville.

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Though she has an additional season of COVID-19 eligibility available, Beal said she doesn't plan to use it and will declare for the 2023 WNBA Draft.

"School is not for me, I'll tell you that, so I definitely have (made a decision)," Beal said with a laugh. "So much of my career I feel like a lot of things went unnoticed, so to be able to close out my senior year, to see a lot of people putting me in mocks or just talking about me, it shows that I'm beginning to get noticed and how valuable I can be."

Her stock as a prospect has continually risen this season as her offensive production has improved. She is shooting a career-best 39% from 3-point range and has hit 34 3-pointers — more than double her total in any previous season with games still left to play. ESPN currently projects Beal as the No. 7 overall pick, as does The Athletic.

"She does great things, like she's a stat filler," coach Dawn Staley said. "A lot of people say go where you fit in and go with the style of play, but any team, any of the 12 teams could utilize a player like Brea Beal. You don't have to worry about her. She's going to come to practice. She's going to work. She's going to come early. She's going to leave late. She's going to communicate. She's going to be low maintenance and high performing."

Beal has never been a headliner for the No. 1 Gamecocks, but she has anchored the starting lineup from the moment she set foot on campus. She holds program records for most games started by a freshman, by a junior and most games played in a season. She averages 24 minutes per game this season, just two minutes fewer than leading scorers Zia Cooke and Aliyah Boston.

After the Gamecocks won the 2022 NCAA championship, Beal's profile began to elevate. She earned All-American honorable mention honors for the first time in her career from the Associated Press and was named a finalist for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year alongside Boston, the reigning winner of the award.

In 2023, Boston believes her fellow senior is finally getting the respect she deserves.

"It's well overdue," Boston said. "She's blossoming into her own. She's always been that type of player but it feel really good to see. She's hitting big shots, so the way people defend her, they have to change it because she's a threat from the outside consistently and she can attack them."

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Brea Beal: South Carolina guard develops into a top WNBA prospect