No. 1 South Carolina’s defense suffocated Alabama from the outset and the Gamecocks shook off a slow start offensively to cruise to a 72-44 victory for coach Dawn Staley’s 600th career win on Thursday in Columbia, S.C.

South Carolina (26-0, 13-0 Southeastern Conference) started 1 of 12 from the field but still led 11-6 after the first quarter. The Gamecocks’ imposing defense stifled the Crimson Tide (20-8, 7-6) to 3-of-29 shooting over the game’s first 18 minutes as South Carolina entered halftime up 33-11. Staley’s squad outshot the Crimson Tide for the game, 38.5 percent to 22.1 percent, and forced 19 turnovers.

Ashlyn Watkins’ 14 points and 10 boards led the Gamecocks in the absence of leading scorer and rebounder Kamilla Cardoso (rest). Reserve Sania Feagin added 10 points to fuel South Carolina’s 31-0 advantage in bench points.

Jessica Timmons tallied 20 points for Alabama in its lowest scoring output in a game this season. Leading scorer Sarah Ashlee Barker (17 points per game) left the game in the third quarter with an undisclosed injury. The guard finished with four points on 2-of-11 shooting.

No. 2 Ohio State 82, Penn State 69

Celeste Taylor scored 16 points, dished out seven assists and swiped seven steals as the Buckeyes notched a historic win in the Lady Lions’ first home game since 1996 at Rec Hall in University Park, Pa.

Jacy Sheldon added 20 points and six helpers for Ohio State (23-3, 14-1 Big Ten), which became the first Big Ten team to beat Penn State (16-11, 7-9) at Rec Hall in 29 games since the Lady Lions joined the conference in 1990.

Cotie McMahon and Taylor Theirry finished with 16 and 14 points, respectively, for the Buckeyes. That duo, along with Sheldon and Taylor, contributed baskets during Ohio State’s 13-0 run to begin the game, which ended with the Buckeyes’ 13th straight win.

Ashley Owusu’s 22 points, along with Leilani Kapinus’ 10-point, 10-rebound outing, led the Lady Lions in their sixth straight loss.

Duke 58, No. 17 Syracuse 45

Kennedy Brown scored 12 points and Reigan Richardson hit for 11 as the Blue Devils upset the Orange in Syracuse, N.Y.

Jadyn Donovan piled up eight points and a game-high 15 rebounds as Duke (17-9, 9-6 ACC) snapped its two-game losing streak and notched its fourth-straight victory over Syracuse. Taina Mair added seven points and nine assists for the Blue Devils, who outscored the Orange 21-6 in the second quarter and limited Syracuse to 14 of 56 (25 percent) shooting from the field overall.

The Orange (22-5, 12-4) fell for the first time in six games despite racking up 27 takeaways and holding a 24-11 advantage in points off turnovers. Dyaisha Fair finished with 22 points on 7-of-25 shooting, while Georgia Woolley managed 11 points for Syracuse. The duo combined for 11 rebounds and supplied all three of the Orange’s 3-pointers.

No. 19 Notre Dame 74, Clemson 47

Maddy Westbeld bundled 13 points with 12 rebounds as the Fighting Irish trotted past the Tigers in South Bend, Ind.

Sonia Citron’s 16 points and four steals led Notre Dame (20-6, 10-5 ACC), which trailed 14-4 before recovering to lead 37-27 at halftime. Hannah Hidalgo collected 10 points and eight assists, while Anna DeWolfe and KK Bransford each scored 12 in the win.

Clemson (11-16, 4-11) lost its fourth straight despite a 17-point, 10-rebound effort from Ruby Whitehorn. Amari Robinson added 14 points and Dayshanette Harris contributed 12 points and nine assists for the Tigers, who had 10 shots blocked and finished 19 of 60 (31.7 percent) from the field.

No. 20 Louisville 80, Georgia Tech 62

Sydney Taylor poured in a season-high 31 points and matched her career best with seven 3-pointers off the bench as the Cardinals wore down the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta.

Jayda Curry was the only other double-digit scorer for Louisville (22-6, 11-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), providing 13 points before fouling out. No Cardinals starter scored more than nine points. Louisville canned 12 treys compared to Georgia Tech’s four and held a 28-14 advantage in points off turnovers despite having only one less giveaway (16-15).

Kara Dunn’s 17 points and nine rebounds led Georgia Tech (15-13, 6-10), which lost for the seventh time in nine games. Tonie Morgan added 16 points and Rusne Augustinaite hit for 14 as the Yellow Jackets fell to 0-8 this season against ranked opponents.