Behind a balanced and efficient offensive attack, South Carolina was able to end Quinnipiac’s Cinderella run through the NCAA Tournament with an emphatic 100-58 win in the Sweet 16.
The number one-seeded Lady Gamecocks were led by the trifecta of A’ja Wilson, Allisha Gray and Kaela Davis. These three combined to score 71 of the Gamecocks 100 points by creating an inside-outside threat that the Bobcats could not defend.
Davis, with her three-point shooting prowess, forced Quinnipiac to extend their defense, allowing A’ja Wilson room to expose the Bobcat's bigs without the help of their guards doubling down. Davis ended the night going 5-6 from three for 28 points, and Wilson went 7-9 from the field for 24 points.
When asked about her great shooting performance, Davis laughed before saying, "It was just a matter of getting my feet set and making sure, just kinda staying in rhythm."
One of the biggest questions coming into the game was how Allisha Gray would look after going down with an injury late in South Carolina’s win over Arizona State. Originally, many feared that she had injured her knee against the Sun Devils, yet earlier this week coach Dawn Staley announced that Gray had only suffered a minor hamstring injury and would be good to go against Quinnipiac. Gray proved that she was as good as ever, scoring 19 points and recording 8 rebounds in the victory.
In their two previous Tournament games, the Bobcats had relied upon their three point shooting to carry them past fifth-seeded Marquette and fourth-seeded Miami. Against the Hurricanes, led by Morgan Manz, the team went 15-26 from three with Manz going 6-8 all by herself. This shooting had allowed the Bobcats to be this year's Cinderella in the NCAA Tournament.
In the days prior to the game, coach Staley spoke to how the Gamecocks needed to force Quinnipiac’s players to put the ball on the floor, and not allow the Bobcats to beat them from behind the three-point line. They worked this defensive game plan to perfection, allowing Quinnipiac to shoot just 13 threes, to which the Bobcats only made six.
"I've honestly never seen a team that can shoot the ball as well as them," said Davis after the game. "Our biggest thing was just making them put the ball on the floor and if we had to give up a two, we'd much rather give up a two than a three."
On top of that, South Carolina’s aggressive defense caused problems for Quinnipiac from the opening whistle. It allowed them to start the game on a 16-0 run, where they held the Bobcats scoreless for the opening 7:09 of the game.
On this strong defensive start to the game, coach Staley said, "I was incredibly proud of our team- to be able to lock into the gameplay and execute it."
The Gamecocks defensive pressure did not let up after this early run, as they forced Quinnipiac into more turnovers than assists throughout the course of the game, with the Bulldogs turning the ball over 19 times and recording just 11 assists.
With the win, South Carolina advances to the Elite 8 and is set to play the winner of Florida State and Oregon State. The game will take place Monday at 9 p.m. in Stockholm, California.