SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Tina Roy couldn’t miss. Then she couldn’t find the net.
The stark differences between two halves for the South Carolina shooter embodied the struggles Friday of the top-seeded Gamecocks, who saw a 13-point second-quarter lead turn into a stunning 80-72 loss to No. 4 seed Syracuse in the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament.
USC built that early double-figure lead thanks in large part to Roy, a senior who bailed out a Gamecocks offense that grew stagnant at times with All-American Tiffany Mitchell on the bench in foul trouble, and finished the first half with five made 3-pointers and 17 points.