No. 1 South Carolina beats Norfolk State in NCAA Tournament
The No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks play the Norfolk State Spartans at approximately 2 p.m. Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at their home venue, Columbia’s Colonial Life Arena.
The State’s Jeremiah Holloway and Chapel Fowler are there to bring you live updates as the undefeated Gamecocks, who won the 2022 national championship over UConn, formally start their title defense.
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South Carolina advances to second round
And there’s your final: South Carolina 72, Norfolk State 40.
The top-seeded Gamecocks (33-0) advance to a second round game Sunday versus No. 8 South Florida, which defeated No. 9 Marquette 67-65 in epic overtime fashion earlier Friday. The USC-USF game time won’t be announced until all of Friday’s games are completed.
South Carolina moved to 7-0 against No. 16 seeds and overcame a lackluster first half against the Spartans. USC led by as many as 37 points in the second half of a game that featured some legitimate Gamecock errors (shooting 61% on free throws and allowing 14 offensive rebounds) but was never really in doubt.
Twelve players scored for South Carolina, led by guard Zia Cooke and forward Laeticia Amihere’s 11 apiece. South Carolina played its bench for the majority of the fourth quarter and outscored the Spartans 16-14 in the period. Norfolk State, the MEAC champion, ended its season at 26-7 and fell to 0-2 all time in NCAA Tournament games.
USC cruising after 3 quarters
South Carolina leads Norfolk State 56-26 after three quarters.
The Gamecocks had their best scoring quarter of the game, putting up 22 points and ending the quarter on a 12-0 run. Their 30-point lead is the largest of the game.
Guard Zia Cooke continues to lead USC with 11 points, and five other players have 6 or more points. South Carolina’s also stretched its rebounding margin to 41-27 (+14) and has 14 assists on 18 made baskets.
Norfolk State is continuing to struggle against USC’s vaunted defense. The Spartans are 11 for 49 from the field and 2 for 10 on 3-pointers, and they only have one bench point.
Gamecocks stretch lead at halftime
USC leads Norfolk State 34-18 at halftime.
Coach Dawn Staley, frustrated, called an early timeout after consecutive Norfolk State buckets (both on fast breaks following South Carolina turnovers) cut USC’s game-high 17 points down to 12.
South Carolina returned to form from there, at one point taking a 21-point lead, but only outscored Norfolk State 14-11 in the period. The Gamecocks ended the quarter missing their last nine shots and scoring zero points in the final 4:36.
Guard Zia Cooke has a game-high nine points for USC (albeit on 3-8 shooting), and forward Aliyah Boston has six points and six rebounds. As a team, USC’s shooting 9-18 on free throws but has nine assists on 11 shots.
Deja Francis, Norfolk State’s 5-foot-7 guard, has a team-high six points as well as a game-high four offensive rebounds. Pounding the glass is keeping the Spartans around: they’re only losing the rebound battle by one (24-23 USC).
South Carolina leads after Q1
USC’s up 20-7 on Norfolk State after one period of play. The Gamecocks have leaned primarily on their height advantage, forcing the ball inside on most possessions, and ended the quarter with 12 free throws attempts (though they’ve only made 6 of them).
The Gamecocks ended the quarter on a 6-0 run with their bench in, with guards Raven Johnson and Bree Hall and forward Laeticia Amihere all contributing late highlight plays.
Norfolk State is shooting a paltry 3 of 21 from the field and has missed 15 of its last 16 shots. USC has also blocked five shots by the Spartans.
USC injury update
South Carolina guard Kierra Fletcher has returned to her usual spot in the starting lineup Friday, meaning all 14 scholarship players are healthy and ready to roll for the Gamecocks.
Fletcher, a graduate transfer from Georgia Tech, had previously injured her left ankle in a March 4 SEC tournament semifinal win over Ole Miss and missed USC’s March 5 SEC championship win over Tennessee as a result.
Fletcher, who averages 4.6 points per game, received extensive treatment on ankle over USC’s spring break and said Thursday her ankle was feeling “good” and she’d been a full go in practice.
USF scores win over Marquette
Ahead of the South Carolina-Norfolk State game, No. 8 seed USF advanced to the second round at Colonial Life Arena with a 67-65 overtime win against No. 9 Marquette.
Trailing 55-49 with 3:20 remaining, the Bulls went on a 10-0 fourth-quarter and took a 56-55 lead on forward Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu’s and-one layup at the 1:21 mark. Guard Elena Tsineke hit a 3-pointer on the next possession to go up 59-55.
But Marquette got a chance at a go-ahead shot after forcing a jump ball down 59-57, and Golden Eagles guard Mackenzie Hare made two free throws to force overtime (Tsineke’s game-winning halfcourt attempt fell short).
USF outscored Marquette 8-6 in the overtime period to secure the win. Fankam Mendjiadeu had a team-high 22 points, and three other starters scored in double figures. Chloe Marotta, who fouled out of the game in overtime, led Marquette with 25 points.
USF, making its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance in the past nine seasons, moves to 27-6 and will play either South Carolina or Norfolk State for a Sweet Sixteen berth Sunday. That game time won’t be released until all of Friday’s games are completed.
NCAA Tournament: How to watch Gamecocks
- Who: No. 1 South Carolina (32-0) vs. No. 16 Norfolk State (26-6)
- Where: Colonial Life Arena (18,000) in Columbia
- When: Approximately 2 p.m. Friday
- TV: ESPN
- Stream: Via ESPN or the ESPN app
This story was originally published March 17, 2023 at 1:57 PM.
