COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina opened the NCAA Tournament without two starters as forward Bree Hall was held out Friday against Presbyterian for what a team spokeswoman said were “precautionary reasons.”
The top-overall seeded Gamecocks were already missing leading scorer Kamilla Cardoso, who was serving a one-game suspension after her ejection for fighting against LSU at the SEC Tournament on March 10.
Hall spoke at the media session Thursday and went on to practice with the Gamecocks.
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley did not detail any specific problem for Hall after the team’s 91-39 win.
“No, not concerned,” Staley said about Hall. “It’s just something we felt like we had enough going into this game to win the game. We’ll see how she feels tomorrow. But she was fine.”
Hall is a 6-foot forward who is tied for fourth on the team at 9.7 points a game. She had started all 32 games for the undefeated Gamecocks.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness