COLUMBIA, S.C. -- No. 1 seed South Carolina has won 34 straight games and is the favorite to win the national championship, but coach Dawn Staley said Sunday's 88-41 win over No. 8 seed North Carolina might have been the Gamecocks' best yet.
She said she hopes it's "contagious."
"We haven't played like that in a super long time," Staley said after her team led by as many as 51 points. "We actually were talking about that in the coaches' locker room, like, we haven't played well all together. Every single one of our players made an impact coming into the game."
Five players scored in double figures for the Gamecocks, who made 45% of their 3-pointers. South Carolina dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Tar Heels 54-33. The Gamecocks' bench outscored the entire UNC roster 51-41.
"We needed a performance like this," Staley said after the game. "Hopefully playing this good basketball can be contagious throughout the rest of the way. I thought we did a great job of being aggressive on both sides of the basketball, just locking in to make sure that this wouldn't be our last game."
South Carolina played a near-flawless first half, opening up a 37-point lead over the Tar Heels. The Gamecocks shot 80% from beyond the arc, with the bench shooting 6-for-6 and contributing 32 points.
Freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley led all scorers with 20 points, shooting 4-of-7 from 3-point range with nine boards, three steals and three blocks. Kamilla Cardoso had 12 points and 10 rebounds, Chloe Kitts scored 12 points and Tessa Johnson and Ashlyn Watkins chipped in with 11 points apiece.
"I was excited I got to be out there and get some stops on the defensive side and do some great things on the offensive side as well," Fulwiley said.
South Carolina advances to its 10th consecutive Sweet 16 as the top seed in the Albany 1 Regional. The Gamecocks await the winner of 4-seed Indiana and 5-seed Oklahoma on Monday night.