No. 1 South Carolina posts one of the biggest blowouts in women's NCAA tournament history in win over No. 16 Southern
· Yahoo Sports
South Carolina had one of the biggest blowout wins in women’s NCAA tournament history on Saturday.
The No. 1 Gamecocks beat No. 16 Southern 103-34 in the first round. It’s the largest margin of victory for South Carolina in NCAA history and only six women’s NCAA tournament games have had a larger point differential.
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Joyce Edwards had 27 points and missed just three shots from the field as all nine players who took the court for the Gamecocks scored at least one point and played at least 14 minutes. The Gamecocks were up by 25 at halftime and really blew the game open in the third quarter when they outscored Southern 32-2.
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The Jaguars were just 1-of-15 in the quarter and missed eight shots in the paint as the margin grew to 55.
South Carolina’s win came exactly a year after it last set the record for its biggest NCAA tournament win. On March 21, 2025, the Gamecocks beat No. 16 Tennessee Tech 108-48 in the first round. In 2022, South Carolina beat Howard 79-21 in the first round of the tournament.
Biggest NCAA tournament blowout is 89 points
For as staggering as South Carolina’s margin of victory was against Southern, it’s still not close to the biggest blowout in women’s NCAA tournament history. That game happened nine years ago, when Baylor beat Texas Southern 119-30 in the first round. That game eclipsed the previous record by one point as UConn had beaten Saint Francis (PA) 140-52 in 2018.
Oddly enough, none of the winning teams in the five biggest blowouts in women’s tournament history went on to win the national title. The national champion with the biggest blowout in the same tournament is UConn in 2000. The Huskies, who are the overwhelming favorites to win the 2026 tournament, beat Hampton 116-45 on their way to the title 26 years ago.