The No. 1 seed South Carolina Gamecock women's basketball team defeated No. 16 Southern University in the NCAA Tournament Saturday at Colonial Life Arena. The 103-34 win is the team's largest of the season.
Sophomore forward Joyce Edwards got the game started with a put-back 2 after the team won the jump. She scored the team’s first 4 points, putting in another close bucket two possessions later.
A shot-clock violation by the Jaguars was followed by senior center Madina Okot notching her first points of the day on a contested score at the rim. The team’s next score was a fast break layup by senior guard Ta’Niya Latson after she poked the ball away from junior guard Mykayla Cunningham, then converted at the other end.
By the first quarter’s halfway mark, Southern had been held scoreless 0-6 from the field. The Gamecocks led 13-0 after freshman guard Agot Makeer stole the ball nearly immediately after checking in, earning her first score of the day on the fast break off an assist from junior guard Tessa Johnson.
The Jaguars finally got on the board with a layup at the 4:25 mark of the quarter. Makeer answered with a mid-range jumper to put South Carolina back up 15.
The Gamecocks went over three minutes without scoring before senior guard Raven Johnson logged her first points of the day with under a minute to play in the first. South Carolina led 19-6 at the end of the period.
The team shot 0-5 from the 3-point line in the quarter but posted an overall mark of 8-17 (47%) from the field. Edwards led the way with 6 points in the first, followed by Latson’s 5 and Makeer’s 4. Southern shot 3-15 from the field and turned the ball over seven times.
To begin the second quarter, Latson grabbed her second steal-and-score of the day. Her free-throw struggles from the team’s previous outing bled over into Saturday’s game, as she had two misses on six attempts from the charity stripe early. In the SEC Championship game against Texas on March 8, she went 2-6 on free throws.
With 5:39 to play before half, Edwards earned her second and-1 of the quarter off an assist from Tessa Johnson. Makeer earned an and-1 of her own on the team’s next offensive possession. South Carolina was up to a 31-10 lead.
Senior guard Olivia Delancy knocked down a 3-pointer with 4:35 to go in the second quarter, which brought the Jaguars within 20. The score was the first of the game from beyond the arc for either team, as the squads had combined to miss their first 14 attempts.
After a media timeout with just above four minutes to play, Makeer knocked down a corner-3 for the Gamecocks’ first of the day, previously 0-8.
At the 2:21 mark, South Carolina turned the ball over thrice in under 90 seconds. Edwards responded with three consecutive makes under the basket to put the team back on track. The Gamecocks led 44-19 at halftime.
South Carolina shot 18-36 (50%) in the first half despite a 1-13 mark from the 3-point line. The team had also missed four free throws. The Gamecocks had out-rebounded the Jaguars 27-17 and outscored them in the paint 32-10.
Edwards’ 19 points led all scorers, and she had missed just one shot, going 8-9 (88%) from the field. She and freshman forward Alicia Tournebize each grabbed six rebounds, leading all players.
Makeer added 9 points at the break on 4-6 (66.7%) shooting. Latson’s three assists led all players and accompanied 8 points of her own. No Jaguar had scored more than 5.
Okot kicked off the second half with a 3-point make, then rolled in a layup on the next possession for a quick 5 points. Tessa Johnson pushed the team’s opening run to 7-0 with a layup, then Latson once again stole the ball for a fast-break layup directly after. Southern called a timeout at the 7:46 mark.
After the break, Edwards broke the 20-point threshold with a put-back on her own miss. Tessa Johnson hit her first 3-pointer of the game shortly after, then assisted on a fast-break layup make by Latson. The lead was up to 41.
That lead was extended to 50 when Latson stole the ball at midcourt, then made a no-look, behind-the-back pass to Edwards for a score. Tessa Johnson added another triple that pushed the score to 73-20.
After three quarters, the Gamecocks led 76-21. South Carolina outscored Southern 32-2 in the third, holding the team without a make from the field (0-14). The Gamecocks shot 13-21 (61.9%) and turned the ball over just once in the period.
Raven Johnson opened the game’s final quarter with a 3-pointer, and Edwards added more points of her own on the next possession. Tessa Johnson drained another 3-pointer after that, and South Carolina led by 61.
The Jaguars made their first bucket of the second half with 8:14 left in the fourth quarter. The team was 9-52 (17.3%) at that point.
Latson found freshman guard Ayla McDowell for a corner triple that pushed the lead to 73 with just over two minutes left in the game. The Gamecocks closed out the win, earning a 103-34 victory to advance to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32.
Five Gamecocks hit double-digit scoring, with Edwards’ 27 leading the way. The team shot 41-75 (54.7%) from the field overall, with every player to see the court notching at least a point.
What's next?
South Carolina will take on one of No. 8 Clemson or No. 9 Southern California on Monday at Colonial Life Arena. Tipoff and broadcast details are yet to be announced.