South-Carolina
South Carolina Dominates in Round One of NCAA Women’s Basketball Bracket
The South Carolina Gamecocks dominated in their round game of the NCAA women’s bracket.
The South Carolina Gamecocks were heavy favorites coming into their first round game. Not only to advance but to potentially go and win the whole thing for a second year in a row. Right now though, Dawn Staley and her team are having to take it one game at a time and the Lady Gamecocks dominated.
South Carolina defeated Tennessee Tech by a final score of 108-48. Joyce Edwards was the leading scorer for South Carolina with 22 points off of the bench. MiLaysia Fulwiley had a solid game as well with 15 point off of the bench.
The Gamecocks (31-3) improved to 17-1 in the past four women’s tournaments, winning in 2022 and 2024. The lone defeat came to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the national semifinals in 2023.
With Edwards, named to the all-Southeastern Conference first-team this season, leading the way, the top seeds of the Birmingham 2 Regional looked poised for another title in a few weeks.
“Everything comes at you, you don’t know what to expect,” Edwards said. “Once you get your first rebound, the nerves settle down.”
Tennessee Tech coach Kim Rosamond was impressed with the Gamecocks overall skill and discipline. South Carolina made 43 of 67 field goals.
“If they shoot the basketball like that the rest of the way, they’re going to be almost impossible to beat,” Rosamond said.
South Carolina will face ninth-seeded Indiana on Sunday for a spot in the Sweet 16. The Hoosiers outlasted eighth-seeded Utah 76-68 earlier Friday.
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South Carolina women's basketball puts three on all-regional team, Chloe Kitts wins MVP en route to Final Four
South Carolina women’s basketball is headed back to the Final Four for the fifth season in a row. On Sunday, the Gamecocks squeaked by a tough Duke Blue Devils squad 54-50 in the Elite Eight, ending their time in Birmingham. With 20 wins in their last 21 NCAA Tournament contests, USC was the first team to clinch tickets to Tampa.
South Carolina put three players on the Birmingham All-Regional Team.
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Junior forward Chloe Kitts won the Regional MVP. In the Gamecocks’ two games in Alabama, she averaged 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds. She was the team’s overall leading scorer and rebounder in the two games.
Senior forward Sania Feagin joined Kitts on the All-Regional Team. She averaged 10.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 2.0 assists, and 1.5 steals while shooting over 50% from the field.
The third Gamecock to make the All-Regional squad was sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley. Fulwiley poured in 14 points per game to go with 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists. She led the team in scoring against Maryland and had important solo scoring and playmaking bursts in both games when the South Carolina offense got stagnant.
Joining Kitts, Feagin, and Fulwiley on the team were Duke freshman forward Toby Fournier and Duke junior guard Ashlon Jackson.
GamecockCentral’s Chris Wellbaum’s ballot was identical, but he had Feagin bringing home MVP honors. GamecockCentral’s Mingo Martin’s voting looked a little different with Fulwiley and Fournier joined by USC’s Te-Hina Paopao, Duke’s Jadyn Donovan, and Maryland’s Kaylene Smikle (Fulwiley was his MVP).
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With the triumph in Birmingham, South Carolina will play in its seventh Final Four, all coming since the 2014-2015 season. The Gamecocks have made it to the Final Four five seasons in a row, and that likely would have been six in a row had the 2019-2020 season not been cut short due to Covid.
Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks will take the floor again on Friday, April 4th in Tampa, Florida against the Monday night winner of the Elite Eight showdown between the Texas Longhorns and TCU Horned Frogs. Tip time and final television and streaming information remain unknown, though ESPN or ESPN2 will handle the broadcast.
Duke Blue Devils (29-7, 18-4 ACC) vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (33-3, 18-1 SEC)
Birmingham, Alabama; Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Gamecocks -8.5; over/under is 128.5
BOTTOM LINE: No. 2 South Carolina and No. 7 Duke square off in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.
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The Gamecocks have gone 18-1 against SEC teams, with a 15-2 record in non-conference play. South Carolina is 30-3 against opponents over .500.
The Blue Devils’ record in ACC action is 18-4. Duke is second in the ACC with 12.4 offensive rebounds per game led by Oluchi Okananwa averaging 2.4.
South Carolina makes 46.8% of its shots from the field this season, which is 8.2 percentage points higher than Duke has allowed to its opponents (38.6%). Duke averages 6.1 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.9 more makes per game than South Carolina allows.
The teams meet for the second time this season. South Carolina won 81-70 in the last matchup on Dec. 6. Chloe Kitts led South Carolina with 21 points, and Delaney Thomas led Duke with 14 points.
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TOP PERFORMERS: Joyce Edwards is shooting 54.6% and averaging 13.0 points for the Gamecocks. MiLaysia Fulwiley is averaging 13.8 points over the last 10 games.
Ashlon Jackson is shooting 37.6% from beyond the arc with 2.4 made 3-pointers per game for the Blue Devils, while averaging 12.4 points. Okananwa is averaging 12 points and 6.1 rebounds over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Gamecocks: 10-0, averaging 81.4 points, 38.7 rebounds, 17.5 assists, 8.5 steals and 6.2 blocks per game while shooting 48.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 58.5 points per game.
Blue Devils: 9-1, averaging 67.1 points, 35.2 rebounds, 14.8 assists, 8.4 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 41.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 51.1 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
2024 Record: 9-3 (5-0 MEAC)
Head Coach: Chennis Berry (2nd season, 9-3)
Last FCS Playoff Appearance: 2013
Last Celebration Bowl Appearance: 2024
South Carolina State’s 2025 football schedule features two FBS matchups against USF and South Carolina, one non-Division I opponent, four FCS non-conference games, and five MEAC conference matchups.
The full 2025 schedule for South Carolina State is below.
Aug. 30: Wofford
Sep. 6: at South Carolina
Sep. 13: Bethune-Cookman
Sep. 20: at South Florida
Sep. 27: at Charleston Southern
Oct. 4: Savannah State
Oct. 11: at North Carolina A&T
Oct. 18: Bye Week
Oct. 25: at Norfolk State
Nov. 1: Morgan State
Nov. 8: Howard
Nov. 15: at North Carolina Central
Nov. 22: at Delaware State
* Italics indicate conference matchups
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