Marching on: No. 1 South Carolina dominates UNC, punches ticket to NCAA Sweet 16

No. 1 South Carolina demolished No. 8 North Carolina 88-41 Sunday at Colonial Life Arena in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Gamecocks advance to the Sweet 16 for the 10th consecutive year (discounting the canceled tournament in 2020) and 11th time under coach Dawn Staley.

USC started guards Te-Hina Paopao, Raven Johnson and Bree Hall (who was held out of the first round game versus Presybterian for “precautionary reasons”), along with forward Ashlyn Watkins and center Kamilla Cardoso (who was suspended for the first-round game).

Five Gamecocks scored in double-digits: Tessa Johnson (11), Chloe Kitts (12), MiLaysia Fulwiley (20), Cardoso (12) and Watkins (11).

Attendance for Sunday’s game was 14,266, a record for an NCAA women’s tournament game played at Colonial Life Arena.

“Super excited we got a chance to play in our building,” Staley said. “Obviously the energy that our FAMS inserted into the building really, really helped us get out to a fast start. And other than a small portion in the third quarter, I thought we put together and executed a nice game plan.”

Next up for USC (34-0): A Sweet 16 matchup in Albany, New York, where it’ll play the winner of No. 4 Indiana and No. 5 Oklahoma. The Hoosiers-Sooners game tips off at 6:30 p.m. Monday.

Defense wins NCAA Tournament games

South Carolina jumped out to an early lead Sunday, and North Carolina never had a chance to fight back. It’s hard to win basketball games without scoring, and the Gamecocks made it their mission to stop the Tar Heels from the get-go.

UNC had eight points in the first quarter (shooting 4-of-17 from the field, or 23.5%). The second quarter proved even tougher, despite the fact that North Carolina scored more points. The Tar Heels had 11 in that period, but four came from the free throw line (4-of-8), three came from beyond the arc and four came from 2-point range.

Of UNC’s 11 first-half turnovers, South Carolina forced eight of them, converting those opportunities into 13 points. Watkins, Fulwiley and Raven Johnson each had two steals in the first two quarters. USC also had 18 defensive rebounds, allowing UNC to snag seven offensive boards and come away with two second-chance points.

The Gamecocks led 56-29 at the half. In their Nov. 30 game in Chapel Hill, UNC opened up a 19-10 first-quarter lead and led 29-26 at the half. USC won that game 65-58.

“I feel like we came out there being very aggressive, just matching their energy,” Fulwiley said. “Last time I thought they caught us off guard with their aggressiveness. Today I felt we did a great job matching that energy on both sides of the basketball for the whole four quarters.”

South Carolina’s defense trailed off in the third quarter, as UNC outscored the home team 15-14. But the first-half deficit USC created proved too great for UNC to overcome.

The Tar Heels ended the game with 41 points, having shot 22.6% from the field — both season lows (previous season low in points: 54 in a win over Vermont in November; previous season low in field-goal percentage: 31.1% in a loss to Duke in February).

Gamecocks perimeter presence on full display

After not scoring in her NCAA Tournament debut Friday, freshman Tessa Johnson led USC’s 3-point shooting charge in the first half of Sunday’s game along with fellow freshman Fulwiley. Each had three, while Paopao sank two, putting the Gamecocks four 3s away from their season-high previously achieved versus Maryland in November.

USC was incredibly efficient from 3 to start, shooting 80% in the first half, and finished the game having shot 45% from beyond the arc.

South Carolina’s depth makes a difference

Despite playing with a four-person bench, the Gamecocks’ reserves contributed greatly to their team’s impressive offensive performance Sunday.

South Carolina’s bench accounted for 51 points compared with UNC’s zero. Fulwiley led the way for reserves and starters, finishing with a game-high 20 points.

“I have the utmost confidence in our bench,” Staley said. “We’ve put them in a position to play all season long. So what they’re doing right now is not a surprise. It was built that way from the very beginning, and now they’re seeing just some of their patience pay off in a big way.”

South Carolina WBB’s next game

Who: No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 4 Indiana or No. 5 Oklahoma

When: Friday, TBD

Where: MVP Arena in Albany, NY

TV/Stream: TBD