2021 NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT - SWEET SIXTEEN
HemisFair Regional, San Antonio, TX
#1 Seed SOUTH CAROLINA vs #5 Seed GEORGIA TECH
NCAA TOURNAMENT
#1 SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS (24-4) VS. #5 GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS (17-8)
SUNDAY MARCH 28, 2021 1:00 P.M. ET | SAN ANTONIO, TX | ALAMODOME (NORTH COURT)
WATCH:
SAN ANTONIO, TX -- The #1 Seed South Carolina Gamecocks meet the #5 Seeded Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the 3rd Round (Sweet Sixteen) of the 2021 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Sunday March 28th at 1:00 PM (ET) in the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX. The game will be televised nationally on ABC - this season's tournament is the major networks' first broadcast of the NCAA WBB tournament. The Gamecocks advanced to the Sweet Sixteen by eliminating #8 Seed Oregon State 59-42 in the 2nd Round Tuesday night, while the Yellow Jackets upset the #4 Seeded West Virginia 73-56 in their Tuesday 2nd Round game.
Sunday's appearance will be South Carolina's 11th appearance in the NCAAT Sweet Sixteen, it's 8th such appearance under head coach Dawn Staley, and the 7th consecutive appearance under Staley, with a season of absence in 2020 due to the tournament being cancelled as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Georgia Tech's appearance will be their program's second ever appearance in the NCAAT Sweet Sixteen, and their first since 2012, which coincidentally was South Carolina's first under Staley.
But that is where any connections between both programs come to a sudden end: with the long histories of the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets' WBB programs, it may be surprising to learn that this Sunday's pairing will be the first ever contest of the series. The Gamecock's program first competed in the modern era in 1974, and the Yellow Jackets in 1974 as well.
Both universities' athletic departments have been conference members of the Southern Conference, the Southeastern Conference, the Atlantic Coast Conference, and the Metro Conference, but they have either been athletic conference rivals during eras that pre-dated both WBB programs, or have leap-frogged, and come and gone from each conference at different times as to miss playing each other in women's basketball. Sunday's contest may be the start of a long, storied series history between the two programs.
Against Oregon State, Aliyah Boston scored 19 points and top seed South Carolina dominated after a close first quarter to beat eighth-seeded Oregon State 59-42 in the women's NCAA Tournament, advancing to its seventh straight Sweet 16.
The Gamecocks (24-4) led by a point after one quarter but had built a 12-point lead by halftime and were up 53-29 by the start of the fourth. South Carolina made just 1 of 15 3-pointers, but was able to control the game by outscoring the Beavers 34-24 inside and winning big on the boards.
The Gamecocks used a big run to break a tie and lead by 12 at halftime. Boston scored the first four points in that span and Laeticia Amihere added six points as South Carolina took advantage of six turnovers.
Oregon State managed just five points on 2-of-12 shooting and had seven turnovers in the second quarter. The Gamecocks continued to pile on to start the second half, outscoring Oregon State 13-3 in the first 4 1/2 minutes of the third to make it 43-21.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Appearances: 17 (1982, 1986, 1988, 1989,1990, 1991, 2002, 2003, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021)
Overall Record (Staley Era): 32-15 (24-7)
Sweet 16 Appearances: 11 (1982, 1990, 2002, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021)
Elite Eight Appearances: 4 (2002, 2015, 2017, 2018)
Final Four Appearances: 2 (2015, 2017)
National Championships: 1 (2017)
Italics indicates during the Dawn Staley era
ABOUT SUNDAY'S GAME
- South Carolina is 4-6 all-time in the third round (Sweet Sixteen) of the NCAA Tournament, including a 3-4 mark in the Dawn Staley era. Georgia Tech is 0-1 all-time.
- With the win South Carolina advances to the Sweet 16 for the seventh consecutive tournament dating back to 2014. It marks the 11th Sweet 16 birth in program history.
- The Gamecocks battled through Oregon State's size to control the glass, out-rebounding the Beavers 50-32, and dominated on the offensive boards with a 14-5 advantage.
- Crucial to the early rebounding effort was sophomore Brea Beal, who finished the night with a team-high and her season-high 11 boards, including six in the first quarter.
- Sophomore Aliyah Boston came out strong with an eight-point first quarter on her way to a game-high 19 points. The sophomore snagged seven rebounds as well.
- Junior Destanni Henderson finished with 12 points, a new NCAA Tournament career high. Henderson scored four points in each of the first, second and third quarters, with her second quarter points coming during Carolina's game-changing run to close the half.
- Sophomore Zia Cooke jump-started the South Carolina run in the second quarter, scoring four points in the period and finishing with 10 points and five rebounds.
- Junior Victaria Saxton made her presence known all over the floor on Tuesday, finishing with seven points, six rebounds and five blocks, tying her career high for blocked shots.
- Sophomore Laeticia Amihere was huge during South Carolina's second-quarter run, scoring five of her eight points during the surge. Amihere finished with eight points and nine rebounds.
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