Ta’Niya Latson and Raven Johnson power South Carolina past Oklahoma to reach the women’s Elite Eight
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Even after another dominant offensive effort, South Carolina’s players feel that their best is yet to come. Ta’Niya Latson scored 28 points and Raven Johnson added 18 to help the top-seeded Gamecocks beat No.
4 seed Oklahoma 94-68 on Saturday and advance to the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA Tournament. “We have a lot of room to grow, we’re growing at the right time,” Johnson said. “When everyone is clicking the ceiling is high for us.
” Coach Dawn Staley also sees areas that her team can grow despite winning its first three March Madness games by an average of 45 points. “I like for us to be a little bit better at putting the ball in the paint and scoring,” she said. “Used to having a dominant post who can alleviate some of the pressures in the half court.
” South Carolina will face the winner of the TCU-Virginia game on Monday night for the chance to go to the Final Four in Phoenix. The Gamecocks have advanced to six of the past eight Final Fours and won three national championships during that stretch. Oklahoma was looking for its first trip to a regional final since the 2009-10 season, which was the Sooners’ last time in the Final Four.
The Gamecocks (34-3) jumped out to a strong start behind Latson, who was playing in her first Sweet 16. The senior guard played the first three years of her career at Florida State before coming to South Carolina this season. She scored eight of the team’s first 10 points as the Gamecocks went up 10-0.