COLUMBIA (AP) – A’ja Wilson scored 15 points and Alaina Coates and Aleighsa Welch had 12 points each as top-seeded South Carolina defeated Savannah State 81-48 on Friday night to win its first NCAA Tournament home game in 13 years.
The Gamecocks (31-2) shot 64 percent in putting away the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Lady Tigers (21-11) for a second time this season. South Carolina won its 33rd straight at home. It will have one more at Colonial Life Arena Sunday when it faces Syracuse or Nebraska on Sunday for a spot in the Sweet 16.
The Gamecocks last played an NCAA game on campus in 2002. Ever since, they’ve been prevented by the NCAA’s ban against the Confederate flag which flies on Statehouse grounds. The governing body changed its rules, allowing the top 16 seeds to play the first two rounds at home.
Ezinne Kalu had 21 points for Savannah State