Gamecocks Advance to Sweet Sixteen

0:00On March 26, the South Carolina women's basketball team is advancing to the sweet 16 after dominating their first two March Manus games at home. The number one seed, Gamecox crushed number 16, Southern University, 130-34 on March 21, then beat number nine. Southern California, 101-61. Now they're heading to Sacramento's Golden One Center to face number four Oklahoma on March 28 at 5 p.m., a rematch of their only. South Eastern Conference lost this season. Freshman A. Gottmaker stepped up big with 31 points over the two games, plus steals and assists, filling in while a teammate was limited. sophomore Joyce Edwards had career highs, scoring 50 points total on great shooting, with rebounds and defense too. The team shot over 50 percent from the field and owned the pain in both wins. At home, South Carolina finished 18 and 0, capping it with senior Raven Johnson reaching her 1,000th career point in her final game.

1:02There, players called Maker, the team's secret weapon, praising her freshman impact on both ends of the court. That January lost to Oklahoma came down to rebounding, as the Sooners controlled the boards and won an overtime. But the Gamecox have sharpened up since, with junior Tessa Johnson hitting half her threes in the tournament and center Medina O'Code bouncing back. Strong. As they chase a deep tournament run, South Carolina knows Oklahoma pushes the pace like no one else. Coach Don Staley says the stakes are rising, and it's time to play their peak basketball out west.