No news is good news in a game like this, and South Carolina women’s basketball put the news away early.
Except for record-chasing.
No. 1 seed South Carolina took care of business in overwhelming fashion against No. 16 Tennessee Tech at Colonial Life Arena, darting out to a 21-point lead before the end of the first quarter and cruising to a 108-48 victory in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
South Carolina (31-3) set its program record for points in a NCAA Tournament game, smashing the previous mark of 100 against Quinnipiac in 2017. It was also the largest margin of victory in a tournament game, beating out the 58-point win over Howard in 2022.
The Gamecocks are now one win away from a trip to Birmingham for the regional, with a game against No. 9 seed Indiana on Sunday to decide the spot.
In a game with such an enormous talent gap, South Carolina absolutely did not need to shoot the lights out. The defensive advantage, size difference, overall athleticism and depth would have been more than enough for the Gamecocks even on an average or bad day from the floor.
South Carolina went ahead and did so anyway, though.
The Gamecocks shot 67.2 percent from the floor, including an astounding 66.7 percent in the first quarter and 61.1 percent in the second quarter, including hitting seven of 10 3-pointers in the first half.
Tessa Johnson picked up right where she left off in last year’s 19-point National Championship Game performance, seeming her most comfortable in the NCAA Tournament. She canned a 3-pointer from each corner as part of an eight-point opening frame, setting the tone as Te-Hina Paopao and Raven Johnson also each hit two triples before the break.
This was a fully operational, well-oiled machine humming on all cylinders, and Tennessee Tech (26-6) never had a chance. The Gamecocks forced 18 turnovers, enjoyed a 47-15 advantage in the rebounding column and did everything you would want a top seed to do in its first NCAA Tournament game.
Not only was there no rust after 12 days without a game, there was no fear from the newcomers. There will be bigger tests, for sure, but Joyce Edwards looked comfortable as ever in her first career NCAA Tournament game.
Edwards entered off the bench less than three minutes into the contest, ripped off eight points in the first quarter and scored a team-high 22 points. Freshman Maddy McDaniel christened her tournament career with two points and three assists, and Adhel Tac checked in to a huge ovation late in the third quarter in time to score six, delighting her teammates on the bench with every strong move inside.
South Carolina broke two program tournament records in he game, one from 2017 and one from 2022.
Both of those years ended in National Championships, and 2025 is now five wins away from the same result.
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