South Carolina beats Georgia Tech
Zia Cooke and her South Carolina teammates were hot from the outside and rode that solid shooting to reach the Elite Eight.
Cooke scored 17 points, hitting five of six 3-point attempts, to lead top-seed South Carolina to a 76-65 win over fifth-seeded Georgia Tech on Sunday.
“Our offense carried us today with our ability to hit layups and stretch the floor and hit some 3s,” Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said. “Hope it continues to get better. You got some great programs here that can put a lot of points on the scoreboard.”
It’s the third time in the past four women’s NCAA Tournaments that the Gamecocks have at least reached the regional finals. South Carolina won the national championship in 2017.
After going scoreless in the first half, Aliyah Boston had the first seven points in the third quarter as South Carolina (25-4) went on a 14-6 run to start the period. That lengthened a four-point halftime lead to double digits. The All-America sophomore forward finished with nine points.
The Yellow Jackets (17-9) made a run in the fourth quarter to get within 69-63, but five consecutive points — the last coming on a 3-pointer from Cooke with 3 minutes left — sealed the win.
Lotta-Maj Lahtinen scored 20 points to lead Tech.
Stanford 89, Missouri State 62
Hannah Jump scored 17 points to lead top seed Stanford to an 89-62 romp over No. 5 Missouri State on Sunday, sending the Cardinal to the Elite Eight for the 21st time.
This Sweet 16 rematch from Stanford’s win in 2019 quickly turned into a blowout. The Cardinal led by 23 at halftime and by as much as 38 in the fourth quarter. Stanford kept up its postseason barrage of 3-pointers by making 15 against the Lady Bears.
Stanford (28-2) has averaged 14 made 3s over its three tournament victories. The overall No. 1 seed advances to Tuesday’s Alamo Region final against either No. 2 Louisville and No. 6 Oregon.
A win there would send Stanford to its 14th Final Four.