College basketball: South Carolina, Virginia Tech clinch spots in women's Final Four

March 28 (UPI) -- Aliyah Boston totaled 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists to lead No. 1 overall seed South Carolina Gamecocks past the Maryland Terrapins and into the Final Four of the 2023 women's basketball tournament.

Fellow No. 1 seed Virginia Tech also advanced Monday with a win over No. 3 Ohio State in Seattle. The Hokies will now battle No. 3 LSU for a ticket to the championship.

The undefeated Gamecocks (36-0) will battle No. 2 Iowa in the other Final Four matchup. They out-rebounded the Terrapins 48-26, forced 26 turnovers and led by as many as 19 in their 86-75 Elite Eight win Monday in Greenville, S.C.

"The biggest thing about games, especially now, deep in March, is being able to adjust," Boston, the reigning Wooden Award winner, told reporters. "The quicker we do that, the better it will be for our team."

Senior guard Abby Meyers scored seven points to help the Terrapins earn a 21-15 lead through the first 10 minutes of Monday's loss.

Senior guard Zia Cooke scored nine of her 18 points in the second quarter, when the Gamecocks outscored the Terrapins 23-9 to take a 38-30 edge at the break.

The Gamecocks outscored the Terrapins 48-45 over the final 20 minutes to clinch the victory. Terrapins senior guard Diamond Miller scored 10 points in the third. Cooke poured in nine in the quarter.

Sophomore guard Shyanne Sellers scored 11 over the final 10 minutes, helping the Terrapins outscore the Gamecocks 25-24 over the final 10 minutes. Gamecocks senior guard Brea Beal also scored 11 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter.

Miller totaled a game-high 24 points in the loss. Meyers chipped in 14 points for the Terrapins, who made 7 of 14 3-point attempts in the setback.

In the later game, Virginia Tech beat Ohio State 84-74 Monday at Climate Pledge Arena. Senior forward Elizabeth Kitley and junior guard Georgia Amoore scored 25 and 24 points, respectively, for the Hokies. Kitley, a Wooden Award finalists, also pulled down a dozen rebounds.

The Hokies made 48.1% of their field goals, out-rebounded the Buckeyes 32-24 and made eight 3-pointers in the victory. Buckeyes senior guard Taylor Mikesell scored 25 points in the loss.

Mikesell made three 3-pointers to help the Buckeyes earn a 25-22 lead through the first 10 minutes. The Hokies went on to outscore the Buckeyes 62-49 over the final three quarters.

Mikesell added another 10 in the second. Hokies senior forward Taylor Soule scored nine of her 12 minutes in the quarter. The Hokies led 48-45 at halftime.

Amoore scored eight of the Hokies' 15 points in the third. They carried a 63-55 edge into the fourth. Kitley scored 10 over the final 10 minutes to help seal the victory. Amoore scored nine down the stretch.

The Hokies will battle the Tigers in the first women's Final Four game at 7 p.m. EDT Friday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The Gamecocks will then face the Hawkeyes at 9 p.m. Friday at the same venue. Those games will air on ESPN.

The women's title game will air at 3:30 p.m. Sunday on ABC.