March Madness 2022: Record-setting defense leads South Carolina women to 79-21 win

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South Carolina figured out one way to solve its fourth-quarter woes is to hold the opponent to the fewest points ever in a woman’s NCAA Tournament game.

Aliyah Boston scored 10 points and had 12 rebounds to lead the top-seeded Gamecocks to a 79-21 victory over Howard on Friday.

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The 21 points for the Bison broke the record held by Kansas State which scored 26 in a loss to UConn in 2012. The Gamecocks (30-2) held Howard (21-10) to a NCAA Tournament record low four points in the first half as they took a 44-4 lead.

South Carolina forward Aliyah Boston, top, and guard Zia Cooke, bottom, look at a loose ball during the first half of a first round game against Howard in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Friday, March 18, 2022 in Columbia, S.C.  (AP Photo/Sean Rayford)

"We defend. We were pretty locked in," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said.

It was a total mismatch, even for a No. 1 versus No. 16 seed. The Gamecocks had 30 offensive rebounds to just six for Howard. The Bison turned the ball over 20 times and were outscored 38 to 8 in the paint.

Thirteen of the fourteen South Carolina players who got in the game scored.

But there still are things for Staley to worry about. The defense helped mask an off shooting night for the tournament’s overall top seed. The Gamecocks shot 35% from the field and just 8-fo-38 on 3-pointers.

"I know we can’t have another game shooting-wise like we did and expect to win basketball games. We’ve got to find a way to get the ball to go in the hole for us," Staley said.

South Carolina has been struggling to finish games. They lost to Kentucky 64-62 in