The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Women’s NCAA roundup HEMISFAIR REGIONAL
• 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 March 28. “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 (254) 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. “This team is resilient and determined and focused on the task at hand,” Staley said. “We found ourselves with Aliyah Boston in foul trouble early on and this team pivoted well today. We can afford ourselves that situation when we’re hitting shots.”
• Texas topped Maryland, 64-61, in the other Hemisfair Regional semifinal. Charli Collier paced the Longhorns with 16 points, and Celeste Taylor added 15.
ALAMO REGION
• Missouri State had waited two years to get another crack at the Sweet 16 and Stanford, only to watch the Cardinal turn their rematch into a romp.
Hannah Jump scored 17 points off the bench and top seed Stanford strolled past the No. 5Lady Bears, 89-62, to earn a spot in the Elite Eight for the 21st time. Stanford led by 23 at halftime and by as much as 38 in the fourth quarter as the Cardinal kept up their postseason barrage of 3-pointers by making 15.
The Cardinal (28-2) have made at least 13from long range in each of their three tournament games. Jump led the way Sunday with five.
• Dana Evans scored 29 points and No. 2 seed Louisville advanced to the Elite Eight with a 60-42 win over sixth-seeded Oregon. The Cardinals will face top seed Stanford on March 30 in the Alamo Region final.