Paopao leads No. 1 South Carolina past No. 9 NC State in Final Four rematch
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Te-Hina Paopao scored 23 points, MiLaysia Fulwiley chipped in with 18 points off the bench and No. 1 South Carolina passed its first big test of the season with a 71-57 victory over ninth-ranked North Carolina State on Sunday in the Ally Tipoff at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center.
Together Paopao and Fulwiley were 18 of 30 from the field as the Gamecocks (2-0) shot 50%.
Zamareya Jones had 16 points and Aziaha James added 13 points to lead NC State (1-1).
The Gamecocks used a 14-5 spurt at the end of the second quarter led by Fulwiley to build a 39-30 lead at halftime.
Paopao's 3-pointer and baseline floater to open the third quarter pushed the Gamecocks lead to 12 and they never never seriously threatened again. Bree Hall's driving layup put South Carolina up by 20 with 2:42 left in the third quarter.
The Wolfpack would cut the lead to seven with 4:32 left in the game, but couldn't complete the comeback.
Takeaways
South Carolina: The Gamecocks had some outstanding interior passes leading to easy layups and showed their championship mettle in the second half.
NC State: The Wolfpack just didn't have the size or athleticism to keep up with the top-ranked Gamecocks.
Key moment
South Carolina's Ashlyn Watkins received a loud ovation when she checked into the game in the first quarter. It was her first action since she was cleared by the school to play after charges of assault and kidnapping against her were dismissed. She had been suspended from team activities since her arrest on Aug. 31, although she was permitted to take part in classes.
Key stat
South Carolina held a 40-25 edge on the glass.
Up next
NC State hosts Kent State on Thursday night. South Carolina hosts Coppin State on Thursday night.
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