Mar 19, 2023; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Zia Cooke (1) drives around South Florida Bulls guard Carla Brito (55) in the second half of South Carolina Gamecocks 76-45 victory at Colonial Life Arena, advancing them to the Sweet 16. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
Defending national champion and top-seeded South Carolina pulled away in the second half for a 76-45 win over No. 8 seed South Florida on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Columbia, S.C.
Zia Cooke scored a game-high 21 points for the unbeaten Gamecocks (34-0), who outscored the Bulls 43-16 in the second half. Aliyah Boston added 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Laeticia Amihere came off the bench to net 10 points.
Elena Tsineke scored 20 points to pace South Florida (27-7), while Sammie Puisis finished with 11 points and four rebounds.
After holding a 33-29 lead at the break, South Carolina closed the third quarter with a 13-3 run before scoring 17 of the first 19 points of the fourth to open up a commanding 31-point advantage. Amihere was dominant in the fourth, scoring eight points.
IOWA CITY SUBREGIONAL
No. 2 Iowa 74, No. 10 Georgia 66
Caitlin Clark scored 22 points and dished out 12 assists as the Hawkeyes held off the Bulldogs for a spot in the regional semifinals.
Monika Czinano added 20 points and nine rebounds for Iowa (28-6), which also got 15 from Gabbie Marshall, all of which came from beyond the 3-point line. McKenna Warnock chipped in 14 points with eight rebounds as the Hawkeyes connected on 12 of 28 3-pointers.
Diamond Battles scored 21 points to pace Georgia (22-12), while Brittney Smith and Javyn Nicholson each added 12.
SOUTH BEND SUBREGIONAL
No. 3 Notre Dame 53, No. 11 Mississippi State 48
Sonia Citron scored 14 points, going 10 of 14 at the foul line, as the Fighting Irish squeaked past the Bulldogs to earn a spot in the regional semifinals.
Lauren Ebo added 10 points and a game-high 18 rebounds for Notre Dame (27-5), which made just 34.7 percent of its shots from the field and went 0-for-7 from 3-point range but outrebounded Mississippi State 49-32.
Kourtney Weber scored 14 points for the Bulldogs (22-11), who made just 18 of 61 attempts from the field (29.5 percent). The Irish closed the game on a 10-5 run, getting seven points from Citron during that stretch.
BLACKSBURG SUBREGIONAL
No. 1 Virginia Tech 72, No. 9 South Dakota State 60
Georgia Amoore sank seven 3-pointers and scored 21 points as the Hokies earned just their second regional semifinal appearance by stopping the Jackrabbits.
Elizabeth Kitley added 14 points and 14 rebounds for her 21st double-double of the season. Taylor Soule chipped in 13 points and Kayana Traylor hit for 11 for Virginia Tech (29-4).
Myah Selland posted 17 points and nine rebounds to lead South Dakota State (29-6), which trailed 46-23 at halftime. Haleigh Timmer and Paige Meyer each added 12 points.
--Field Level Media
