Canada’s Amihere helps top-seeded South Carolina advance to Sweet 16 in rout of USF | CBC Sports

Zia Cooke scored 21 points and Aliyah Boston had her 81st career double double as top-seeded South Carolina shook off a slow start to power past eighth-seeded South Florida and into the Sweet 16 with a 76-45 victory Sunday.

The Gamecocks improved to 34-0 with their 40th straight win overall and moved four victories away from a second straight national title. They’ll head to Greenville, where they won the Southeastern Conference Tournament two weeks ago, to play for a spot in the Final Four.

The Canadian forward denied South Florida’s Elena Tsineke by the basket before scoring at the other end to finish off the play in the fourth quarter. 

Boston, the program career record holder for double doubles, finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds, coming out of her final game at home to a huge ovation.

South Florida (27-7) entered looking for a program-record 28th win this season and its first berth in the Sweet 16, but after a feisty start, couldn’t hang with the Gamecocks.

Notre Dame holds on to defeat Mississippi State

Lauren Ebo had 10 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks to help Notre Dame beat Mississippi State.

Maddy Westbeld added nine points and 15 rebounds for the Irish, who blew an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter before making the plays down the stretch for the win.

Montreal’s Cassandre Prosper finished with 7 points for Notre Dame.

Mississippi State scored eight straight points to open the fourth quarter and tie the game at 41. Ebo scored the first Irish basket of the final period on an offensive putback with 4:38 remaining.

The Irish regained the lead for good on a pair of KK Bransford free throws with 3:49 left in the game, which gave Notre Dame a 45-43 advantage. The Irish held onto the lead the rest of the way.

Clark, Czinano lead Iowa past Georgia

Caitlin Clark had 22 points and 12 assists while Monika Czinano added 20 points to help Iowa beat Georgia.

The Hawkeyes (28-6) advance to the ninth Sweet Sixteen in program history.

Gabbie Marshall added 15 points and McKenna Warnock had 14 for Iowa, which erased the memory of last season’s second-round home loss to No. 10 seed Creighton.

WATCH | Edwards on her Canadian support and inspiration: 

UConn basketball player Aaliyah Edwards on her Canadian support and inspiration

Aaliyah Edwards thanked her teammates from the Canadian women’s national basketball team for helping her compete as a student-athlete for the UConn Huskies and contend for a U.S. collegiate championship.

Clark, a first-team Associated Press All-American, was held scoreless for 13 minutes in the first half, but scored 14 second-half points as the Hawkeyes finally shook off the 10th-seeded Lady Bulldogs (22-12). She made just 6 of 17 shots, but either scored or assisted on nearly every point by the Hawkeyes in the second half.

Georgia, a No. 10 seed, got within 68-66 on a 3-pointer from Audrey Warren with 2:17 left in the game, but the Lady Bulldogs would not score again, committing three straight turnovers and missing a layup.

Diamond Battles led Georgia with 21 points. Brittney Smith and Javyn Nicholson each had 12 points.