Sweet 16 Bound Again; Kansas Upsets South Carolina, 75-69
March 25, 2013
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes |
Kansas 75, No. 17/14 South Carolina 69
Coors Events Center // Boulder, Colo.
Monica Engelman lead all scorers with 27 points in the Jayhawks’ win over South Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Final Stats | Final Stats (PDF) 
Game Coverage
BOULDER, Colo. – For the fourth time in school history and the second time in the last two seasons, the Kansas women’s basketball team is headed to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament after a 75-69 upset victory over No. 17/14 South Carolina Monday night at the Coors Events Center thanks to a career-best 27 points by senior Monica Engelman.
With the victory, Kansas (20-13) will now face the winner of the Notre Dame-Iowa game, which is scheduled for Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. CT, in Iowa City, Iowa, in the round of 16 at the Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Va. That game will take place Sunday, March 31, at either noon or 1:30 p.m. CT. With the win, Kansas became the first No. 12 seed to win a second round game in the NCAA Tournament since 1996.
The two teams traded the first six baskets of the game with one of Kansas’ being a three-pointer, as the Jayhawks jumped out to a 7-6 lead. KU followed with an 8-0 run, thanks to six points from Engelman, to push its lead to 13-6 with 13:34 left in the first half.
South Carolina (25-8) countered with an 8-2 run, but Kansas held on to a slim, 15-14, lead. Kansas remained in control until the 8:48 mark in the first half when Ieasia Walker converted a fast-break layup off a CeCe Harper turnover, as the Gamecocks took the lead, 22-21. Walker’s basket was part of a 10-0 run, as South Carolina claimed a 28-21 advantage with 6:55 on the clock.
Engelman shot Kansas back into the game, posting 18 points in the first half, and Angel Goodrich added a driving layup in the final 33 seconds to put Kansas in the lead, 42-41, at the half. The 42 first-half points equaled KU’s most in NCAA Tournament play, matching its total against Texas on March 18, 1996.
With the game tied, 50-50, USC committed three-straight shooting fouls, Engelman and Chelsea Gardner combined to shoot 5-for-6 from the line to take a 55-50 lead. After a South Carolina basket, Goodrich fouled on her made three-point try and converted the four-point play for a 59-52 lead.
South Carolina went on a 7-0 run and tied the game, 59-59. With the game still tied, 65-65, at the 6:40 mark, and Gardner and Carolyn Davis with four fouls apiece, the two teams combined to score eight points over the next four minutes for a 69-69 tie. However in the final two and half minutes, it was all Kansas as the Jayhawks finished on a 6-0 run for the win.
In addition to Engelman’s game-high 27 points, Kansas was led by Goodrich with 20 points and Davis added 12. Gardner collected 12 rebounds and tossed in five points. In the last three days, No. 12-seed Kansas has knocked off No. 5-seed Colorado and No. 4-seed South Carolina in the Norfolk Region.
KUAthletics.com: The official online source for Kansas Athletics, Williams Education Fund contributions, tickets, merchandise, multimedia, photos and much, much more.
