STOCKTON, Calif.

Before they climbed the ladder to take their turn cutting the nets, Kaela Davis and A’ja Wilson started dancing. And dancing. The band blared inches away, and they danced some more.

A spectacular, spontaneous moment for South Carolina’s two biggest stars: one headed to her first Final Four, and the other going back to chase the school’s first NCAA championship.

“It was just one of those in-the-moment things, having fun. We love our band,” Davis said.

Moments before tipoff, Wilson pulled Bianca Cuevas-Moore into a quick embrace, then South Carolina’s 6-foot-5 center began the night by winning the opening jump and the Gamecocks were on their way to the Final Four, holding off Florida State 71-64 on Monday to win the Stockton Regional.

Most Outstanding Player Davis scored immediately off the tip and again with a timely left-handed drive with 1:42 to go on the way to 23 points. Wilson finished with 16 despite foul trouble and Allisha Gray acrobatically drove her way to 11 points for top-seeded South Carolina (31-4). Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks are back in the Final Four for the first time since 2015 determined to bring home a title.

And — wow! — South Carolina is hoops country for the moment. The men’s program reached its first Final Four with a victory against Florida on Sunday that sent the women screaming in delight at Stockton Arena all the way across the country from the victory at Madison Square Garden.

“We’d also like to congratulate our men’s basketball team, because we’re coming to join you!” Staley told the crowd, then later pulled down the net and showed it off to both sides of the arena.

Leticia Romero cut the South Carolina lead to five on a driving jumper with 3:51 left. Then Brittany Brown’s steal and layup at 3:25 made it 65-62, but the rally fizzled from there for the third-seeded Seminoles (28-7).

After the buzzer sounded, the Gamecocks hustled together for a team hug, and then danced at midcourt sporting fresh “CUT THE NET” T-shirts and Final Four hats.

Tyasha Harris added 16 points for South Carolina, which made things uncomfortable all game for Romero. The Spanish star had 16 points on 6-for-23 shooting as Florida State fell short once more of the program’s first Final Four.