No. 1 South Carolina WBB beats Presbyterian in NCAA first round
Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks (32-0) are the No. 1 overall seed for the 2024 NCAA Tournament. They begin their journey into March Madness at 2 p.m. Friday (ESPN) with a first-round game against No. 16 seed Presbyterian at Colonial Life Arena.
The State’s Payton Titus and Chapel Fowler are on site to provide updates from the game. Follow along as USC tries to take the first step toward a third NCAA national championship.
Final score: USC 91, Presbyterian 39
Ball game. USC, the No. 1 overall seed in the bracket, doesn’t blink and moves to 33-0 this season with a 52-point win.
The Gamecocks will play No. 8 seed North Carolina in a second round game Sunday at Colonial Life Arena. Tipoff time and TV channel are to be determined.
There was lots to feel good about in what was essentially a tune-up game for USC. Bench players MiLaysia Fulwiley (17 points) and Chloe Kitts (21 points) both had big afternoons, and USC shot a blistering 56% from the field and a solid 38% on threes.
Presbyterian, the Big South conference champion, ends the year with a school record 21 wins. The Blue Hose were outmatched as a 54.5-point betting underdog but did just cover that massive point spread in the loss (-52).
End Q3: USC 74, Presbyterian 37
Business as usual by South Carolina, which is leading by 37 points after three quarters. Star freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley has a career-high five 3-pointers, and everyone on the team outside guard Tessa Johnson has scored. Fulwiley (17 points) leads five players in double digits, and the team is 58% from the field.
One silver lining for PC: Through three quarters, the Blue Hose already have eight more points (37) than they did in their December game here in Columbia (29 in a 70-point loss).
Halftime: USC 48, Presbyterian 25
It hasn’t been a flat-out blowout, but South Carolina continues to cruise. The Gamecocks led by 17 after a quarter and improved that to 26 points at the break. Freshman guard MiLaysia Fulwiley has been a star with 12 points on 4-6 3-point shooting, and USC is +7 in rebounding margin and shooting 55.9% from the field.
Presbyterian hit its first three of the game right before the halftime buzzer to get within 48-25 (a defensive miscue by USC that had Staley fired up). USC’s showing its athleticism and has 10 fast break points as compared to zero for PC.
End Q1: USC 27, Presbyterian 10
South Carolina takes a 17-point lead into the second quarter. As expected, the Gamecocks are having success on the glass (+7 rebounding margin, +3 offensive rebounding margin), and that’s been a big boost. USC has 13 bench points (six apiece from G MiLaysia Fulwiley and F Chloe Kitts) and F Sania Feagin has six points, most among starters.
Presbyterian is 0-6 on 3-pointers but has had reasonable success against South Carolina down low sans Kamilla Cardoso. All 10 of PC’s points so far have come in the paint. USC’s current 17-point lead is its largest of the period.
Bree Hall won’t play
Starting junior guard Bree Hall was not dressed during South Carolina’s pregame warmups. The team announced shortly afterward she wouldn’t play for “precautionary reasons” but did not specify any injury. With Hall out, USC will face Presbyterian with eight available players (three bench players).
Sunday opponent set
Friday’s South Carolina-Presbyterian winner has a second round opponent locked in. No. 8 seed North Carolina beat No. 9 Michigan State, 59-56, in the first of two games at Colonial Life Arena on Friday.
The Tar Heels advance to the round of 32 game Sunday at CLA (time and channel TBD) and will play either the Gamecocks or Blue Hose for a spot in the Sweet 16 in Albany, New York.
If USC also advances, it’ll be the Gamecocks’ second meeting with UNC this season. The teams met Nov. 30 at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, where UNC led by as many as 11 points in the first half before USC roared back for a 65-68 win in an AP Top 25 matchup.
South Carolina shot 22 of 56 (39.3%) from the field in that game, which was a season low at the time and remains USC’s third worst team-wide shooting percentage in a game this season.
Massive point spread
The point spread for Friday’s game between No. 1 overall seed South Carolina and Presbyterian turned some heads when it was released late this week. USC is favored by a whopping 54.5 points, according to a line from ESPN BET.
That line (USC -54.5) may seem excessive, but it’s in line with the teams’ first meeting this year. In its 10th game of the year, South Carolina hosted Presbyterian and beat the Blue House by 70 points, 99-29. It was the Gamecocks’ second best point margin all season (101-19, or a +82 margin, vs. Morgan State).
Based on the point spread, South Carolina would need to win Friday’s game by at least 55 points to cover, and Presbyterian would need to either win or lose by (checks notes) 54 points or fewer.
No Cardoso for USC
USC will be down a key starter in its opening NCAA Tournament. All-SEC center Kamilla Cardoso (team-high 14.0 ppg and 9.5 rpg) will not play against Presbyterian as she serves a one-game suspension after she was ejected from South Carolina’s last game for fighting.
Cardoso was ejected from the March 10 SEC championship game against LSU in Greenville for shoving Tigers guard Flau’jae Johnson to the ground during a skirmish that made national news and resulted in the arrest of a fan (Johnson’s brother).
As part of her punishment, Cardoso cannot play against the Blue Hose, participate in pregame warmups or sit on USC’s bench. She will watch the game from the team lounge at Colonial Life Arena.
Watch South Carolina game today
Who: No. 1 South Carolina (32-0) vs. No. 16 Presbyterian (21-14)
Where: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC
When: 2 p.m. Friday
TV: ESPN (Courtney Lyle, Carolyn Peck)
Radio: 107.5 FM locally (see full list of affiliates here)
Next up: The winner of South Carolina-Presbyterian will play No. 8 North Carolina on Sunday (time and channel to be announced)
