NCAA women’s basketball: Defending champion South Carolina cruises in opener

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Zia Cooke scored 11 points as No. 1 South Carolina moved five wins away from a perfect season, opening the women’s NCAA Tournament with a 72-40 victory over No. 16 seed Norfolk State on Friday. Aliyah Boston had seven points, nine rebounds and two blocks for the Gamecocks (33-0), who won their 39th straight game dating back to last year’s NCAA title run and moved to 11-0 in first-round games under Coach Dawn Staley. They’ll face No. 8 seed South Florida on Sunday for a spot in...