No. 1 overall seed South Carolina looked every bit the part on Sunday afternoon, destroying Carolina 88-41 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Columbia, S.C. UNC’s season is over.

The Gamecocks leapt out in front early, outscoring Carolina 28-8 in the first quarter and 28-11 in the second to build an insurmountable 56-19 lead. The Gamecocks shot 19-32 (59.4 percent) in the first half, while their defense held UNC to 7-31 (22.6 percent). The Tar Heels committed 11 turnovers, nearly their season average, in the first half alone. It led to 13 Gamecock points.

Things didn’t get much better in the second half, as South Carolina let its foot off the gas but still extended the lead to the final margin of 47 points. It’s by far the largest loss of head coach Courtney Banghart’s tenure in Chapel Hill.

Deja Kelly, in what could be her final appearance as a Tar Heel, finished with seven points on 2-13 shooting and committed six of UNC’s 18 turnovers. Alyssa Ustby, who also is a graduating senior but retains a fifth year of eligibility, led the team with 12 points and six rebounds. She committed five turnovers. For the game, UNC shot 15-63 (24 percent). South Carolina made as many free throws as the Tar Heels did total field goals.

UNC’s season will end in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. The Tar Heels end the campaign 20-13 overall.

 

Featured image via South Carolina Women’s Basketball on Twitter

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