Great Defense, Bad Shooting As S. Carolina Beats Miami 49-33

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Aliyah Boston scored 10 points and 16 rebounds as top-seeded South Carolina had to ride its strong defense to a 49-33 win over Miami on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Gamecocks (31-2) again held an opponent without a field goal in the second quarter and Miami (21-13) shot just 24% for the game as South Carolina coach Dawn Staley advanced to her eighth Sweet 16 in nine tournament appearances.

The Gamecocks led all the way through this ugly one, but shooting only 30%, they could never really pull away.

Not until Kamilla Cardoso had a pair of three-point plays about midway through the fourth quarter did the game seem in hand. The sophomore led South Carolina with 11 points.

Boston’s 26th double-double in a row seemed in doubt until she was fouled with 1:19 left as Miami tried to extend the game. She hit both free throws. The All-American junior was just 4-of-15 from the field, missing both her 3-pointers and made just two of six free throws.

The Gamecocks made just 18 of their 61 shots on Sunday, the fourth time in the past five games they have shot under 40%.

Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi of Miami led all scorers with 15 points. The 6-foot-4 forward only shot 3-pointers, going 5-of-11. The rest of the team combined for just six more field goals.

BIG PICTURE

Miami: Hurricanes coach Katie Meier has not made a Sweet 16 in nine NCAA Tournament appearances and the 24% shooting night was their worst of the season.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks defense is historic in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. South Carolina set NCAA Tournament records in Friday’s 79-21 win over Howard with just 21 points allowed in the game and four in the first half. Miami scored just three points in the second quarter and 10 points in the first half Sunday — the fourth lowest total in a half in tournament history.

UP NEXT

South Carolina plays the winner of North Carolina and Arizona in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Friday.