Box Score
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The Norfolk State University women's basketball team fought hard during the opening round of Friday's NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament game at top ranked South Carolina. However, the Gamecocks, the overall top seed in the tourney, pulled away in the second half to defeat the 16th-seeded Spartans, 72-40, at Colonial Life Arena.
South Carolina (33-0) advances to the second round and will meet South Florida after outlasting Marquette, 67-65, in overtime. Norfolk State was eliminated and ended its season 26-7.
"Norfolk State is not a 16 seed," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said. "They didn't play like a 16 seed and they were a tremendous team and opponent. We didn't shoot the ball well in the first half and I credit that to how well Norfolk State played."
The loss ended a historic season as the program achieved new heights with the most victories in the NCAA Division I era. In addition, Norfolk State ended a 21-year drought by winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Women's Basketball Tournament Championship and claimed the regular season crown for the second consecutive season.
"South Carolina is as good as you expect them to be," Norfolk State head coach Larry Vickers said. "I thought we did a good job on the offensive glass in the first half, but in the second half they (South Carolina) just wore us down. I am incredibly proud of our team and the season we've had."
Kierra Wheeler paced Norfolk State with 13 points, on 6-of-14 shooting, with eight rebounds, two steals and one assist. Niya Fields added 10 points, five boards, a pair of assists and one steal.
Zia Cooke and Laeticia Amihere led the way for South Carolina offensively with 11 points each. Cooke recorded five rebounds, one steal and one block, while Amihere, who did most of her damage at the foul line with seven points, chipped in two boards, two blocks and a pair of steals.
South Carolina jumped out to a 9-4 lead after an Aliyah Boston jumper with six minutes to play in the first quarter and the Spartans closed the gap to 9-5 after a free throw by Da'naijah Williams with just over five minutes left.
Norfolk State, which shot 14.3 percent in the first period, went cold from the floor, going more than four-plus minutes without a field goal as the Gamecocks built a 14-5 lead.
A putback layup by Wheeler snapped the cold spell as NSU trimmed the deficit to 14-7 with 2:54 remaining.
USC stretched the advantage after a triple by Bree Hall with 43 seconds left as the Gamecocks took a 20-7 lead into the second period.
A jumper by Raven Johnson extended the lead to 24-7, but Norfolk State responded with five straight points, capped by 3-pointer by Camille Downs as the Spartans closed the gap to 24-12 with just over seven minutes left in the first half.
Norfolk State went cold from the field, going more than four minutes without a field goal, as South Carolina went on a 9-0 run, capped by a free throw by Boston as the Gamecocks pushed the lead to 33-12 with 3:26 remaining.
South Carolina went the final 3:26 without a bucket from the field as Norfolk State closed the first half on a 6-1 run as the Gamecocks went into the break with a 34-18 lead.
USC opened the third period on an 8-3 run, capped by free throws by Zia Cooke with 5:23 left as the Gamecocks led 42-21 with 5:23 remaining.
A Downs trey cut the margin to 44-26 with just under three minutes to play in the period, by South Carolina got a free throw by Kamill Cardoso, layup by Hall and 3-pointer by Brea Beal with 3:04 remaining, forced NSU head coach Larry Vickers to call a timeout.
The Spartans went the final 4:18 without scoring as South Carolina took a commanding 56-26 lead into the final quarter.
Norfolk State struggled from the floor in the fourth quarter, going nearly four minutes without scoring as South Carolina extended the margin and put the game out of reach.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Norfolk State shot 26.2percent (16-of-61) from the floor and 44.4 percent (4-of-9) from the free-throw line
- Kierra Wheeler registered 13 points, on 6-of-14 shooting, with eight rebounds, two steals and one assist
- Niya Fields chipped in 10 points, five boards, a pair of assists and one steal
- The Spartans finished with 20 points in the pain, nine points off 12 South Carolina turnovers, seven second-chance points, seven fast break points and three bench points
- South Carolina went 21-of-54 shooting (38.9 percent) and 25-of-41 (61.0 percent) from the charity stripe
- Zia Cooke recorded 11 points and five rebounds, with one steal and one block
- Laeticia Amihere tallied 11 points, including seven from the foul line, along with two boards, two blocks and a pair of steals
- The Gamecocks finished with 41 bench points, 24 points in the paint, 18 fast break points, 14 points off 17 Norfolk State turnovers and eight second-chance points