SC clobbers Bulldogs by 50 points

Top-seeded SC had no issues in its first games since superstar forward Alaina Coates was ruled out for the NCAA women’s tournament. The play gave Gray a double-double for the Gamecocks, who connected on seven of their first 10 shots in the period.

The South Carolina Gamecocks are coming from a 64-53 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide in which Sindarius Thornwell scored 16 points in 5-for-12 shooting from the field and 4-for-7 free throws.

SC forced 12 second half turnovers that led to 18 points. P.J. Rozier added 21 points in the win. Teams that have faced SC this season know it’s hard enough getting open shots against them.

“I thought our players really locked into the game plan and executed on both sides of the ball”, said Coach Dawn Staley of SC.

Momentum stayed with the Gamecocks in the opening stages of the second quarter, and 3-pointers from the right side by Cuevas-Moore and Davis opened up a double-digit lead at 29-17 with 8:51 remaining in the first half. But the Gamecocks used an 11-0 run midway through the second half to take control.

After starting the game small, Staley made a decision to go even smaller to start the second quarter, sending Wilson to the bench.

PJ Dozier added 21 points for SC while Duane Notice and Chris Silva chipped in 10 apiece.

Duke and SC have never met in the NCAA Tournament. C Luke Fischer, who started 25 games, G Haanif Cheatham, (25 starts) and G Jajuan Johnson (24 starts) all came off the bench.

Scouting South Carolina certainly wasn’t hard to do.

The Golden Eagles lost only twice during the regular season when leading at the half. Although Reinhardt is the only Marquette player with NCAA tournament experience, all three are being counted on to help guide the young players at one of the most pressure-filled – and exciting – times in their careers.

What they remember is Rowsey going off for 30 points, including 6 three-pointers, against the Gamecocks on November 26, 2014, when Rowsey was a sophomore at UNC-Asheville.

Marquette: The Golden Eagles withered in the second half, committing 12 of their 19 turnovers in the final 20 minutes.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks have been a No. 1 seed four years in a row, winning their openers by an average of 34 points. The elder McKie played in two NCAA Tournaments, losing as a No. 2 seed to Coppin State in 1997 and as a No. 3 seed to Richmond in 1998. “It’s always a possibility for another historic moment, ” Weaver said. “The crowd was loud, and every time they made a run you could hear them”. “It’s just an unbelievable feeling”.

Marquette scored the first eight points of the game and led by as much as ten in the first half. Marquette went 3-7 in road and neutral site games in conference play.