USC Women Win NCAA 1st Round Game

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind (AP). — Markeshia Grant scored 12 points Saturday and Charenee Stephens added 11 to lead fifth-seeded South Carolina past Eastern Michigan 80-48 in the first round of the NCAA women’s tournament. The Gamecocks (24-9) will face fourth-seeded Purdue, the tournament host, or Summit League champion South Dakota State on Monday night in the second round. Tavelyn James, the nation’s No. 2 scorer, scored 11 points to finish her career with 2,461. But she was held 13 points below her average and didn’t have enough help as the Mid-American Conference champion Eagles (24-9) fell to 0-2 all-time in NCAA play. For the Gamecocks, it was a defensive clinic. They closed the half on a 14-2 run to build a 39-23 lead and opened the second half on a 9-3 run to pull away. The 80 points scored by USC was the most all season and haven’t reached that plateau since an 80-68 win over Alabama in 2010. This is the Gamecocks first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2003, the furthest USC ever made it has been to the elite eight in 2002. USC will play Purdue on Monday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at 7pm on ESPN 2.