COLUMBIA — They forced turnovers, they blocked shots, they made their opponent struggle for every single point. In the opening round of the women’s NCAA Tournament, South Carolina looked every bit the No. 1 seed.
Defensively, at least.
Offensively it took a while Friday, as the third-ranked Gamecocks initially struggled from the free-throw line, struggled from the 3-point arc, and for nearly three quarters struggled to find a rhythm in a 77-41 victory over No. 16 seed Jacksonville at Colonial Life Arena.
It was still plenty good enough to dispatch te Atlantic Sun tournament champions, playing in the NCAAs for the first time in school history.