Gamecocks head to Sweet Sixteen for 11th-straight appearance

Associated Press,

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Bree Hall had 11 points and Chloe Kitts scored all her 10 points in the second half as top-seed South Carolina pulled away after trailing at halftime to beat ninth-seeded Indiana 64-53 on Sunday in the women’s NCAA Tournament and reach the Sweet 16 for the 11th straight time.

Kitts added 10 rebounds for the Gamecocks (32-3), who will take on either fourth-seeded Maryland or fifth-seeded Alabama in the Birmingham 2 Regional next week. Those teams play Monday night.

Not that anyone at Colonial Life Arena was locking South Carolina into that game after a dreadful first-half performance where they shot just 10 of 29 and trailed the Hoosiers 26-25 at the break. But the Gamecocks came out on fire in the third quarter, hitting nine of their first 10 shots for a 20-7 run to take control.

When Hall’s third 3-pointer closed the surge, the Gamecocks had the game in hand and improved to 18-1 in their past four NCAA Tournaments.

Indiana couldn’t get closer than seven points the rest of the way.

Shay Ciezki had 12 points to lead Indiana.

Sania Feagin added 10 points for South Carolina, which improved to 18-0 in home NCAA Tournament games.

Notables

  • With the victory over Indiana, South Carolina heads to its 11th consecutive Sweet 16 appearance, which is the second-longest active streak in the nation.
  • After facing a one-point deficit at the half, the Gamecocks turned things around by scoring 26 points on 68.8 percent shooting from the floor in the third quarter to get back on top by double-figures.
  • Bree Hall led the way in scoring for the first time this season, knocking down three 3s as part of her 11 points with her third capping a 7-0 run that put the Gamecocks up by 12.
  • Chloe Kitts grabbed her 10th double-double of the season, scoring seven of her 10 points in just four minutes on the floor in the third quarter to add to 11 boards.
  • Sania Feagin finished with her 13th game in double-figures, netting six of her 10 points in just as many minutes on perfect 3-for-3 shooting from the floor.
  • Te-Hina Paopao ended with nine points while also locking in on defense, grabbing a career-high four blocks while dishing out two steals.

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