Gamecocks Beat Tar Heels to Advance to Elite 8

Forward Aliyah Boston scored all 13 points in the fourth quarter to lead the South Carolina Gamecocks (32-2, 15-1 SEC) to victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels (25-7, 13-5 ACC) 69-61. The number one seed Gamecocks will advance to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament. 

The Tar Heels were up 23-22 after the first, but their 8 points in the second quarter were detrimental. Carolina shot 1-9 from the floor, including 0-3 from 3-point range. They picked it up in the second half, shooting 52% from the floor. 

Deja Kelly had a magical performance tonight. Kelly scored a team-high 23 points and 3 assists. She was efficient, shooting 50% from the floor. 

South Carolina’s size was too much for the Tar Heels. The Gamecocks dominated the boards, winning the rebounding battle 47-33. The Gamecocks’ size in the paint resulted in 27 second-chance points. 

“I thought it was huge for us to come out, and hit some shots. That allowed us to open things up,” said Head Coach Dawn Staley. 

Aliyah Boston, the SEC Player of the year, had a dominant performance tonight. She scored 28 points and grabbed 22 boards. Her 20-20 performance proved that she is the nation’s best player. 

“I was just being patient, and a lot of it came off missed shots. I was just trying to crash the boards,” said Boston. 

Junior guard Zia Cooke chipped in with 15 points, and senior forward Victoria Saxton was another force in the paint with her 14 rebounds.

The Gamecocks will face Creighton (22-9, 15-5 Big East) in the Elite 8 this Sunday.