Columbia, SC (SportsNetwork.com) - A'ja Wilson came off the bench to register 15 points with nine rebounds to lead the top-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks past the 16th-seeded Savannah State Lady Tigers, 81-48, in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament at Colonial Life Arena.
The Gamecocks (31-2) advance to the second round of the tournament and will take on eighth-seeded Syracuse on Sunday.
Aleighsa Welch and Alaina Coates each contributed 12 points for South Carolina, while Khadijah Sessions added 10 points in the victory.
Ezinne Kalu led all scorers in the game with 21 points, adding in five rebounds, four steals and five turnovers for Savannah State (21-11). Jasmine Norman chipped in with 10 points and five boards in the loss.
South Carolina converted on 64.2 percent of its shots in the game, and limited the Lady Tigers to a mere 33.3 percent shooting. The Gamecocks outscored Savannah State in the paint, 56-20, and held a 43-10 margin in bench scoring in the win.
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