South Carolina Basketball: Gamecocks dominate Tar Heels to advance to Sweet Sixteen

South Carolina Basketball vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
Stats, Scoring, and Observations

South Carolina basketball dominated the border battle with the North Carolina Tar Heels in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament, winning a berth in the Sweet Sixteen (their 10th straight) by a score of 88-41.

Here are the stats from the game:

STATS

North Carolina

Points

Leader: Alyssa Ustby with 12

Rebounds

Leader: Alyssa Ustby and Maria Gakdeng each with 6

Assists

Leader: Deja Kelly and Teonni Key each with 2

Steals

Leader: Alyssa Ustby with 2

Blocks

Leader: Maria Gakdeng with 4

Team

The Tar Heels shot 23.8%/16.7%/57.1% and had 18 turnovers

South Carolina

Points

Leader: MiLaysia Fulwiley with 20

Rebounds

Leader: Kamilla Cardoso with 10

Assists

Leader: Te-Hina Paopao with 6

Steals

Leader: MiLaysia Fulwiley and Raven Johnson each with 3

Blocks

Leader: MiLaysia Fulwiley with 3

Team

The Gamecocks shot 45%/45%/79% and had 13 turnovers

BOX SCORE

OBSERVATIONS

• Starters: Raven Johnson-Te-Hina Paopao-Bree Hall-Ashlyn Watkins-Kamilla Cardoso
• Kamilla Cardoso and Bree Hall were back after serving a suspension (Cardoso) and missing a game for an undisclosed "precautionary reason" (Hall).
• The Gamecocks dominated from the opening tip.
• The Carolina defense made North Carolina look like a JV team. In the 1st half, UNC's top-2 players (Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby) combined for 9 turnovers and 3 fouls while scoring just 7 points.
• Every Gamecock dominated on defense early, but the guards were exceptionally disruptive.
• Tessa Johnson came out hot, knocking down 3 3-pointers in the 1st half, going 3-3.
• MiLaysia Fulwiley locked up Deja Kelly when the two were matched up against each other, forcing her into 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in a matter of minutes. She was shoving players on both ends of the court in frustration for most of the rest of the game but was only called for the foul once.
• The 2nd half was a coasting effort from the Gamecocks, but they still added to their lead.
• Carolina got just about everything they wanted, and everyone contributed something positive to the effort. Tessa Johnson had a great 1st half, and MiLaysia Fulwiley was special all game. Te-Hina Paopao had a well-rounded game, and Kamilla Cardoso picked up a double-double.
• Bree Hall didn't play much after halftime, presumably to help her continue to heal from whatever kept her out in round 1.
• No one played more than 26 minutes against North Carolina, meaning the Gamecocks should be rested heading into the Sweet Sixteen next week.