SAN ANTONIO — Zia Cooke and her South Carolina teammates were hot from the outside and rode that solid shooting to reach the Elite Eight.

Cooke scored 17 points, hitting five of six 3-point attempts, to lead top-seed South Carolina to a 76-65 win over fifth-seeded Georgia Tech on Sunday.

“Our offense carried us today with our ability to hit layups and stretch the floor and hit some 3s,” Coach Dawn Staley said. “Hope it continues to get better. You got some great programs here that can put a lot of points on the scoreboard.”

It’s the third time in the last four women’s NCAA Tournaments that the Gamecocks have at least reached the regional finals. South Carolina won the national championship in 2017.

After going scoreless in the first half, Aliyah Boston got the first seven points in the third quarter as South Carolina (25-4) went on a 14-6 run. That lengthened a four-point halftime lead to double digits. The All-America sophomore forward finished with nine points.

“This team is resilient and determined and focused on the task at hand,” Staley said. “We found ourselves with Aliyah Boston in foul trouble early on and this team pivoted well today. We can afford ourselves that situation when we’re hitting shots.”

The Yellow Jackets (17-9) made a run in the fourth quarter to get within 69-63, but five consecutive points – the last coming on a 3-pointer from Cooke with 3 minutes left – sealed the win. She was 5 for 6 from behind the arc.

Lotta-Maj Lahtinen scored 20 points to lead Georgia Tech.

(6) TEXAS 64, (2) MARYLAND 61: Charli Collier scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Texas (21-9) shut down No. 2 Maryland’s high-powered offense for a win over the Terrapins (26-3) that sent the Longhorns to the Elite Eight as the lowest seed still alive.

The Terrapins had the highest-scoring offense in the country during the regular season and averaged 99 points in the first two rounds before running into a Texas defensive wall that slowed the pace to a grinding halt.

ALAMO REGION

(1) STANFORD 89, (5) MISSOURI STATE 62: Hannah Jump scored 17 points to lead top seed Stanford (28-2) to a romp over No. 5 Missouri State (23-3), sending the Cardinal to the Elite Eight for the 21st time.

This Sweet 16 rematch from Stanford’s win in 2019 quickly turned into a blowout. The Cardinal led by 23 at halftime and by as much as 38 in the fourth quarter. Stanford kept up its postseason barrage of 3-pointers by making 15.

Stanford has averaged 14 made 3s over its three tournament victories. The overall No. 1 seed advances to the Alamo Region final Tuesday against Louisville.

A win there would send Stanford to its 14th Final Four. Coach Tara VanDerveer has won two national championships, but none since 1992.

Elle Ruffridge scored 18 points to lead Missouri State, a team with a history of punching above its status as a mid-major from the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bears have two Final Four appearances, but the last came two decades ago behind record scorer Jackie Stiles.

(2) LOUISVILLE 60, (6) OREGON 42: Dana Evans scored 29 points and No. 2 seed Louisville (26-3) beat sixth-seeded Oregon (15-9).

Louisville continued its stellar defensive play, holding Oregon to 14 points in the first half.

Evans provided the offense. After going scoreless in the first quarter, the All-America guard had 13 points in the second quarter, and Louisville led 29-14 at the break.

The Ducks tried to rally in the third quarter but were slowed when Nyara Sabally left the game late because of a left ankle injury after she stepped on a teammate’s foot. She didn’t return and finished with a team-high 14 points.