COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina freshmen MiLaysia Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson aren't waiting around to make a difference for the nation's top-ranked women's basketball team.
They're grabbing the opportunity to lead the way for the undefeated Gamecocks right now, in the NCAA tournament.
Fulwiley scored 20 points, Johnson added 11, and the pair combined for seven of the team's' nine 3-pointers in an 88-41 win over No. 8 seed North Carolina on Sunday that sent South Carolina, the tourney's overall No. 1 seed, to its 10th straight Sweet 16.
"They see themselves as being integral parts of our success," coach Dawn Staley said. "And they didn't back down from it."
Kamilla Cardoso had 12 points and 10 rebounds in her return from a one-game suspension after she was ejected for fighting during the Southeastern Conference tournament title game two weeks earlier. The 6-foot-7 center, a former prep standout at Chattanooga's Hamilton Heights, missed her team's March Madness opener against Presbyterian on Friday.
Staley said Cardoso felt she had let her teammates down with her suspension for shoving LSU's Flau'jae Johnson to the ground, but hearing the fans cheer her return Sunday lightened her mood.
"I'm so happy she got over that part of it and we can move on," Staley said.
Fulwiley, the SEC tourney MVP, and Johnson fueled a first-quarter surge for South Carolina (34-0) that quickly turned the game into a runaway. Fulwiley started it with a behind-the-back layup before Johnson made consecutive rainbow 3s. Fulwiley added another 3 as part of a 43-11 run that gave the Gamecocks a 56-19 lead at the break.
Fulwiley knows she's among the most promising young players in the game along with Southern California's JuJu Watkins, Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo and Madison Booker of Texas. Fulwiley's bigger priority, though, is blending in with her talented Gamecocks teammates.
"I think this team, we do a great job of just playing for each other," she said. "I think we don't play for the fans and all the other extra stuff. I think everything we do out on the court is for each other."
South Carolina will carry that bond into the regional semifinals to face No. 4 seed Indiana (25-5) or No. 5 seed Oklahoma (23-9) on Friday in Albany, New York. Those teams meet Monday.
The Gamecocks, at full strength and playing like their potent selves, were too much for the Tar Heels (20-13), who had lost by single digits in the teams' previous two meetings, most recently on Nov. 30.
Chloe Kitts, a South Carolina sophomore who hit all nine of her field-goal attempts for 21 points in the first round, scored 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting in the first half of this one. She finished with 12 points and has made 13 of 14 shots in the tournament.
North Carolina got no closer than 31 points in the final two quarters. Maria Gadkeng, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's win over Michigan State, picked up three first-half fouls. Alyssa Ustby led the team with 12 points.
Leading scorer Deja Kelly had two fouls and five of the Tar Heels' 11 first-half turnovers against the Gamecocks. She was held to seven points on 2-of-13 shooting.
"I felt like I had two people on me at all times," Kelly said.
North Carolina was held to the fewest points in its 81-game NCAA tournament history. The Tar Heels' previous low was a 55-46 loss to George Washington at the old Carolina Coliseum in Columbia 27 years ago.
The Gamecocks extended their program record with their 59th straight win at home in their final game of the season at Colonial Life Arena, where they averaged an NCAA-best 16,489 fans.
AP photo by Nell Redmond / South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso looks to pass during Sunday's NCAA tournament second-round game against North Carolina on Sunday in Columbia, S.C.Oregon State 61, Nebraska 51
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Talia von Oelhoffen had 19 points and eight assists to help site host Oregon State, the No. 3 seed in the Albany 1 Region, advance to the Sweet 16 past the sixth-seeded Cornhuskers.
Raegan Beers added 10 points for the Beavers (26-7), who will cross the country to Albany later this week to face the winner of Monday's second-round game between No. 7 seed Ole Miss (24-8) and second-seeded Notre Dame (27-6).
Jaz Shelley had 10 points and seven assists for the Huskers (23-13), who have not advanced to the regional semifinals since 2013.
Alexis Markowski's layup pulled the Huskers within 35-29 heading into the fourth quarter, but the Beavers responded with three straight 3-pointers to go up 44-29. Nebraska responded with a 6-0 run to get back within single digits. Von Oelhoffen hit a 3 that made it 49-35 for Oregon State with 3:46 left.
ALBANY 2 REGION
LSU 83, MTSU 56
BATON ROUGE, La. — Angel Reese had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Aneesah Morrow joined her in double-double territory with 19 points and 13 rebounds, and third-seeded LSU responded to a nine-point third-quarter deficit with a dominant finish to defeat Middle Tennessee State University, which was the lone double-digit seed remaining after the first round.
Flau'Jae Johnson scored 21 to lead the Tigers (30-5) and played a central role in helping them surge to a comfortable second-half lead that ended the 11th-seeded Lady Blue Raiders' 20-game winning streak. MTSU (30-5) had rallied from 18 points down to upset No. 6 seed Louisville in the first round Friday.
Sunday's decisive victory for the reigning national champions came one day after LSU coach Kim Mulkey railed against The Washington Post — and threatened potential legal action — for what she described as an impending "hit piece" against her, promising that it would not derail the Tigers' tourney preparation.
LSU used 10-0 run to get back in front, 42-41, against the Lady Blue Raiders.
MTSU's Savannah Wheeler scored 21 to match LSU's Johnson for the game high, and Courtney Whitson grabbed 10 rebounds for the Lady Blue Raiders.
LSU will face the winner of Monday's matchup between No. 2 seed UCLA (26-6) and No. 7 seed Creighton (26-5) next weekend at the Sweet 16 in Albany.
Colorado 63, Kansas State 50
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Tameiya Sadler scored all 10 of her points in the second half to lead a balanced scoring attack as fifth-seeded Colorado beat fourth-seeded Kansas State.
The Buffaloes (24-9) move on to the Sweet 16 in Albany, where they will face the winner of Monday's game between No. 1 seed Iowa (30-4) and No. 8 seed West Virginia (25-7).
The Buffs spoiled the first home sellout for Kansas State (26-8) since it hosted top-ranked Connecticut on Dec. 11, 2016. Colorado, which had six players with nine or more points, outscored the Wildcats 19-7 in the third quarter to take a 52-42 lead into the fourth.
The Wildcats had multiple chances to trim the deficit to three in the fourth quarter, but they couldn't get the shots to fall.
PORTLAND 3 REGION
Duke 75, Ohio State 63
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Reigan Richardson scored 28 points and added seven rebounds as No. 7 seed Duke (22-11) rallied from a 16-point first-half deficit to beat No. 2 seed Ohio State (26-6) and earn a spot in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2018.
Richardson hit a 3 from the wing to put the Blue Devils up 59-57 with 5:21 left. That sparked a 13-2 run that began to put the game out of reach.
Ashlon Jackson scored 13 points and Taina Mair added 11 for the Blue Devils, who move on to Portland, Oregon, where they will play next weekend against the winner of Monday's matchup between No. 3 seed Connecticut (30-5) and No. 6 seed Syracuse (24-7).
Cotie McMahon had 27 points for Ohio State, which attempted just nine 3-pointers and didn't make one until there were 12.2 seconds to play.
Baylor 75, Virginia Tech 72
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Jada Walker scored 26 of her career-high 28 points in the second half to lead the fifth-seeded Bears (26-7) past No. 4 seed Virginia Tech (25-8), sending Baylor to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2021.
Matilda Ekh paced Virginia Tech with 19 points, while Georgia Amoore and Clara Strack had 18 apiece. Strack was once again filling in for All-American Elizabeth Kitley, who tore her ACL in the regular-season finale.
Walker scored her team's final nine points, and her three-point play with 19.1 seconds left gave Baylor a 73-69 lead. After a 3 by Amoore with 16 seconds remaining, the Hokies fouled Walker, who hit two free throws with 5.9 to go.
Virginia Tech was unable to get a shot off in the final seconds.
Baylor's next opponent will be the winner of Monday's game between No. 1 seed Southern California (27-5) and No. 8 seed Kansas (20-12).
PORTLAND 4 REGION
Texas 65, Alabama 54
AUSTIN, Texas — Aaliyah Moore matched her career best with 21 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and made a timely defensive play to help No. 1 seed Texas (32-4) beat No. 8 seed Alabama (24-10).
Early in the fourth quarter, Moore ran down Del'Janae Williams and blocked her fast-break layup attempt that could have cut the Longhorns' lead to six. Taylor Jones had four of the Longhorns' 11 blocked shots.
Freshman Madison Booker also scored 21 for the Longhorns, who move on to the Sweet 16 to face the winner of Monday's game between No. 4 seed Gonzaga (31-3) and No. 5 seed Utah (23-10).
Sarah Ashlee Barker scored 17 for Alabama, and Aaliyah Nye added 14.
Stanford 87, Iowa State 81 (OT)
STANFORD, Calif. — Brooke Demetre hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 18 seconds left in overtime, and Kiki Iriafen scored 11 of her career-high 41 points in the extra period, securing No. 2 seed Stanford (30-5) a place in the regional semifinals with a thrilling win over seventh-seeded Iowa State (21-12).
Addy Brown knocked down a 3 from the top of the arc with 31 seconds left in OT to put Iowa State ahead, only for Demetre to answer from nearly the same spot moments later — and six of her eight total points came on timely 3s. She also hit two free throws with 11.7 seconds left to help seal it.
Iriafen converted a three-point play with 3:41 left in overtime after drawing the fifth foul on star Iowa State freshman Audi Crooks and also contributed 16 rebounds and three blocks. Talana Lepolo added a 3 in the extra period, and Iriafen had a go-ahead baseline jumper with 1:59 to go before scoring again the next time down.
The Cyclones' Emily Ryan hit a go-ahead 3 with 3:45 to play, another 3 in overtime and tying free throws with 1:03 left to finish with 36 points in her gutsy, spectacular finale.