South Carolina pulled off one of the biggest wins in women’s NCAA tournament history on Saturday.
In the first round, the No. 1 Gamecocks defeated No. 16 Southern 103-34. It was South Carolina’s largest victory in NCAA history, and only six women’s NCAA tournament games had a wider margin.
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Joyce Edwards scored 27 points and missed just three field goals, and all nine Gamecocks players on the court scored at least one point and played at least 14 minutes. The Gamecocks led by 25 points at halftime and really opened up the game by outscoring South 32-2 in the third quarter.
The Jaguars made 1 of 15 shots in the quarter and missed eight shots in the paint, extending the deficit to 55 points.
South Carolina’s victory came just one year after setting the record for the largest win in the NCAA tournament. On March 21, 2025, the Gamecocks defeated No. 16 Tennessee Tech 108-48 in the first round. In 2022, South Carolina defeated Howard 79-21 in the first round.
The biggest blowout in the NCAA tournament was 89 points
Despite South Carolina’s stunning win over Southern, it’s still far from the biggest win in NCAA women’s tournament history. That game happened nine years ago, when Baylor defeated Texas Southern 119-30 in the first round. That game was one point better than the previous record, which UConn beat St. Francis (Pa.) 140-52 in 2018.
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Oddly enough, in the five biggest blowouts in women’s tournament history, none of the winning teams went on to win the national championship. The most outstanding national champion in the same event was the University of Connecticut in 2000. 26 years ago, the Huskies were the overwhelming favorite to win the 2026 tournament, beating Hampton 116-45 to win the title.
