South Carolina, ND roll to first-round wins

Zia Cooke scored 11 points as No. 1 South Carolina moved five wins away from a perfect season after opening the women’s NCAA Tournament with a 72-40 victory over No. 16 seed Norfolk State on Friday in Columbia, S.C.

Aliyah Boston had seven points, nine rebounds and two blocks for the Gamecocks (33-0), who won their 39th straight game dating back to last year’s NCAA title run and moved to 11-0 in first-round games under coach Dawn Staley. They’ll face No. 8 seed South Florida on Sunday for a spot in the Sweet 16.

This was a colossal mismatch from the tip like so many other games South Carolina’s been a part of this season.

South Florida 67, Marquette 65: At Columbia, S.C., Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu scored 22 points and Elena Tsineke’s jumper with 31.2 seconds left in overtime put South Florida ahead for good in a win over No. 9 seed Marquette.

The Golden Eagles (22-11) had a final look to win, but Mackenzie Hare’s 3-pointer went inside the rim and rolled out with a second to play.

The Bulls (27-6), who didn’t lead for the game’s first 38 minutes, rallied several times including from 47-36 down in regulation to tie their mark for wins in a season.

Notre Dame 82, Southern

Utah 56: At South Bend, Ind., forward Maddy Westbeld scored 20 points and led No. 3 seed Notre Dame over No. 14 seed Southern Utah.

Guard Sonia Citron chipped in 14 points and a season-high six assists. The team’s leading scorer, she transitioned into the team’s primary facilitator with second-team Associated Press All-american guard Olivia Miles out the remainder of the season with an undisclosed knee injury.

Lauren Ebo had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Megan Jensen led Southern Utah (23-10) with 11 points.

Maryland 93, Holy Cross

61: At College Park, Md., Abby Meyers scored 16 points and Diamond Miller added 13 points and eight rebounds as secondseeded Maryland rolled to a over 15th-seeded Holy Cross.

The Terrapins (26-6) scored the game’s first 14 points and advanced to face seventh-seeded Arizona on Sunday. Maryland was able to give its top players plenty of rest, with Miller, Meyers and Shyanne Sellers each playing a little over half the game.

Sellers had 13 points and eight assists, and Brinae Alexander led Maryland in scoring with 18 points.

Holy Cross (24-9) was led by Simone Foreman’s 13 points.