Edwards leads No. 1 seed South Carolina to 108-48 win over Tennessee Tech to begin March Insanity

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Freshman Joyce Edwards scored 22 factors in her first girls’s NCAA Event recreation as No. 1 seed South Carolina started its run at a second straight nationwide title with a 108-48 victory over Tennessee Tech on Friday.

The Gamecocks (31-3) improved to 17-1 prior to now 4 girls’s tournaments, profitable in 2022 and 2024. The lone defeat got here to Caitlin Clark and Iowa within the nationwide semifinals in 2023.

With Edwards, named to the all-Southeastern Convention first-team this season, main the best way, the highest seeds of the Birmingham 2 Regional regarded poised for one more title in just a few weeks.

South Carolina will face ninth-seeded Indiana on Sunday for a spot within the Candy 16. The Hoosiers outlasted eighth-seeded Utah 76-68 earlier Friday.

Edwards scored six straight factors to open up the sport because the Gamecocks went forward 31-11. The Golden Eagles (26-6), champions of the Ohio Valley Convention, noticed their 17-game win streak come to an finish.

Taris Thornton led Tennessee Tech with 13 factors.

MiLaysia Fulwiley added 15 factors as all 12 Gamecocks who performed scored baskets.

Takeaways

Tennessee Tech: A bit was made in regards to the Golden Eagles beating South Carolina within the NCAAs 36 years in the past. And possibly some reminiscences had been stirred when Tech took a 2-0 lead. However issues rapidly turned in opposition to the Eagles because the Gamecocks went on a 20-4 run.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks had have their share of opening NCAA blowouts — they’ve overwhelmed their previous three first-round opponents by a median margin of 47 factors — and this was not that a lot totally different apart from the workforce reaching 100 factors for the third time this season.

Key second

It got here early as South Carolina dominated from the beginning with Edwards scoring six straight after Tech trailed 5-4 to get her workforce going.

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