South Carolina coach Dawn Staley imagined having a team immersed in the NCAA Tournament experience, rather than a group with wet feet.
Stellar sophomores in Gamecocks led by All-American Aliyah Boston he overcame a few bumps in his first game at the NCAA Tournament on Sunday to move on to the second round, where they will face eighth place in Oregon State for a spot on Sweet 16.
“We knew we had come and brought our own energy,” said South Carolina junior Victaria Saxton.
Boston, Zia Cooke and Brea Beal, all newbies in the past two seasons, were part of Staley’s highest-rated recruiting class entering the 2019-20 season. Gamecocks were among the best in the country, closing the year with 10 weeks in the first place and carrying a 26-game winning streak in what they hoped would be a deep NCAA race.
COVID-19 ended those dreams and South Carolina went on to make its debut against No. 16 seed Mercer, with junior Destanni Henderson being the only player on the list to start a NCAA Tournament game.
It does not matter.
Boston led with 20 points and 18 rebounds. Cooke had 13 points, all in the second half.
Staley was pleased that his players got off to a slow start – the game was tied at 27 – all in the second quarter – to win their ninth consecutive NCAA opener, 79-53.
“Don’t hesitate,” Staley reminded them, “This is just part of our journey.”
The next step in the journey is a confrontation with an Oregon State team that has an unusual perspective than most teams in the region – the Beavers know what it’s like to beat South Carolina.
Oregon State won 70-68 in Vancouver in the Thanksgiving weekend tournament, two seasons ago. And beavers are playing well; they overtook the state of Florida with the ninth seed, 83-59, on Sunday to advance.
The Beavers have also changed their list since defeating South Carolina. Aleah Goodman, who had 24 points in the victory over FSU, was a reserve two years ago.
Goodman said they will approach South Carolina in the same way as any other opponent.
“The importance of just playing our game, playing our basketball and just controlling the pace and pace is very important,” said Goodman.
RULES OF JORDAN
Jordan Lewis from Alabama had one of the best performances of the tournament by leading seventh place Crimson Tide to a victory by 80-71 in the first round over 10th place in North Carolina. Lewis had 32 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists when Alabama advanced to the second round for the first time since 1999.
Lewis will probably need another big event for the Crimson Tide to stay alive as they face the No. 2 ranking in Maryland, which leads the country in attack at 91.3 points per game and defeated Mount St. Mary’s by 98-45 on Monday. The Terps have only made it to Sweet 16 once in their previous four NCAA appearances.
SCRAMBLING W
Georgia Tech’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament in seven years looked like it could be short, losing 17 in half to 12th place Stephen F. Austin. But the Yellow Jackets came together for a 54-52 overtime victory, tied for the fourth biggest recovery in tournament history.
Georgia Tech will face fourth place in West Virginia to move on. Yellow Jackets coach Nell Fortner is grateful that her players remain steadfast and have experienced the NCAA’s sense of success.
They are trying to reach Sweet 16 for the first time since 2012.
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