The South Carolina women's basketball team got out to a slow start in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but eventually returned to their usual form, pulling away from Jacksonville in the second half to come away with a 77-41 victory. The size of the Gamecocks' post players proved to be too much for the Dolphins to handle, as sophomore forward A'ja Wilson and junior center Alaina Coates combined for 37 points and 21 rebounds.
The game started out slow, but the Gamecocks got their offense going late in the first quarter to take a 15-6 lead into the second. Jacksonville started the second quarter with an 8-4 run, but fell behind even further, trailing 32-21 at the break.
Once the teams came back onto the court, it was all South Carolina. The Gamecocks dominated the third period, outscoring the visitors 22-9 before continuing their dominance in the fourth. Wilson and Coates were doing most of the work for the South Carolina offense, as the duo had a serious height advantage over the Dolphins, whose tallest starter was just 6-foot-0.
Not everything was good for the Gamecocks however, as the team displayed weaknesses that could be problematic going forward. The slow starts have been a problem often this season, but free throw shooting has plagued the team even more. In the first half, South Carolina made just four of their 11 attempts from the stripe, finishing at 66 percent for the game. The team also struggled from three-point range, making three of 15 attempts and missing all eight in the first half.
"The offense has to catch up with our defense," said head coach Dawn Staley. "If that does happen, we look like a totally different basketball team.
The turnover battle did heavily favor South Carolina, as the Gamecocks forced 21 Jacksonville turnovers while committing just 10. The 21 turnovers led to 23 Gamecock points, while the Dolphins managed just four points on South Carolina's miscues. The home team came out with a pressure zone defense to begin the second half, forcing mistakes that jump-started the offense with easy transition baskets.
"I think we always have a weapon with our defense. Our defense creates offense for us," said senior guard Tiffany Mitchell. "So, we know if we're struggling offensively, we can pick up the pressure defensively and we can create some offense.
As expected the Gamecocks dominated on the boards, holding a 44-30 advantage on the glass, largely because of the post play of Wilson and Coates. The team also grabbed 14 offensive rebounds, compared to just five from Jacksonville.
Mitchell turned in another solid performance for the Gamecocks, finishing with 14 points on the night. Along with Coates and Wilson, the SEC Tournament MVP was part of a trio that outscored the Dolphins 51-41.
South Carolina will remain in Colonial Life Arena to host ninth-seeded Kansas State at 7 p.m. on Sunday. The Gamecocks will look to reach the Sweet 16 for the third straight season, which would send them off to Sioux Falls.