A dominant third quarter helped defending national champion South Carolina keep its ambitions of back-to-back titles alive, as the top-seeded Gamecocks rallied from a halftime deficit to top No. 9 seed Indiana 64-53 on Sunday in Columbia, S.C.
The Gamecocks (32-3) went into intermission trailing their Birmingham Region 2 second-round matchup 26-25 after shooting just 10-of-29 from the floor.
South Carolina scored more in the third quarter with 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting than the entire first half, in the process building a double-digit cushion it maintained for much of the fourth quarter. Chloe Kitts recorded a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds), while Bree Hall scored a team-high 11 points and Sania Feagin added 10.
Shay Ciezki led Indiana (20-13) with 12 points. The Hoosiers shot 10-of-24 in the second half and committed eight turnovers, which South Carolina converted into nine points.
No. 2 Duke 59, No. 10 Oregon 53
Ashlon Jackson scored all 20 of her points in the second half to lead the Blue Devils past the Ducks in Durham, N.C.
The Blue Devils (28-7) overcame a 38.2-percent shooting performance from the floor by forcing the Ducks into 17 turnovers. Duke, which advanced to the Sweet 16 for a second consecutive season, converted those takeaways into 18 points.
Reigan Richardson had 13 points and six rebounds for Duke. Deja Kelly led the Ducks (20-12) with 20 points. Phillipina Kyei recorded a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double.
No. 3 Notre Dame 76, No. 6 Michigan 55
Liatu King shot 7-of-7 from the floor en route to 18 points, and the Fighting Irish’s game-opening 11-2 run set the tone in a romp over the Wolverines in South Bend, Ind.
The Fighting Irish (28-5) pounced on the Wolverines early, racing out to a 32-12 lead through the first period. Hannah Hidalgo led Notre Dame with 21 points, Sonia Citron (16 points) hit 3-of-6 shots from 3-point range and King contributed 15 rebounds.
Freshman Olivia Olson scored 20 points to lead Michigan (23-11), which shot just 36.8 percent from the floor. Syla Swords added 17 points.
-Field Level Media
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