SAN ANTONIO, Texas – South Carolina first advanced to Elite 8 on Sunday afternoon in San Antonio, surpassing Georgia Tech 76-65. The Gamecocks were led by Zia Cooke, who scored 17 points, causing most of his background damage, doing 5 of 6 behind the bow. Laeticia Amihere scored a post-season high with 15 points off the bench.
Junior striker Victaria Saxton scored 12 points, with eight in the second half. Destinee Henderson and Aliyah Boston added 9 points each and Brea Beal scored eight points.
The Gamecocks had their best offensive display at the NCAA Tournament, throwing 56 percent of the field and 57 percent behind the three-point line, making a high 8 to 14 tournament.
South Carolina took charge of the game in the third quarter, building a 17-point lead and overcoming the Jackets by 23-15 to lead 62-50 towards the final frame. South Carolina will face the No. 2 Maryland and No. 6 Texas winner for the right to advance to the Final Four.
South Carolina led 19 to 16 after the first period, despite some problems and zero points from Boston.
The Gamecocks led twice in double digits on 26-16, opening the second quarter with 7-0, and again on 39-29 with 1:47 remaining in the first half, but Georgia Tech scored the half’s six points in a three direct by Lotta-Maj Lahtinen and a deep three by Loyal McQueen on the buzzer to reduce the Gamecocks’ lead to just four in the break.
Cooke blazed and led the Gamecocks in the first half with 11 points, with nine coming from behind the hoop in 3-4. Amihere, playing important minutes due to Boston’s foul problems in the first half, had 10 points from 4-5 shots and 2-2 on the free-throw line. Junior Destiny Littleton also contributed to the three-point parade, hitting a pair of three. Amihere and Littleton combined to score 12 of the Gamecocks’ first 26 points.
Boston failed to score in the first half, receiving his first foul just 1:56 into the game. The 1.83m tall Naismith Award Finalist played just five minutes in the first quarter. Boston suffered his second foul with 3:16 remaining at the break and went to the bench after failing all four attempts at shooting. The Yellow Jackets swarmed Boston with every touch, often sending a double team.
Lahtinen led the Yellow Jackets with 16 points in the first half. The 5-foot-7 native from Hilsinki, Finland was 7-10 from the field, 2-2 from the three-point line and 2-2 from the free-throw line. McQueen, a native of Florence, SC, scored nine points in the first half for Georgia Tech.
Georgia Tech scored the first basket of the half to reduce the lead to 39-37. The Gamecocks had a run of 14-2 to take their biggest lead in the game at 53-41, highlighting six consecutive Boston points and a Henderson corner three. Gamecocks led 55-45 in the time limit for children under 5 in the third quarter. Amihere came back into the game and immediately scored on a tray and a foul to increase the advantage to 58-45 with a tray and a foul. Saxton’s four points in a row increased the lead to 62-45, with just over two minutes remaining. The Jackets scored the last five points of the quarter to reduce the lead to 62-50 by entering the final frame.