TAMPA, Fla. -- Notre Dame leads 32-28 after 20 minutes. A look at how the first half went down:
How the half was won: The team with more Final Four experience was the more relaxed team at the outset, and Notre Dame jumped to a 15-3 lead. The Irish never trailed, although South Carolina rattled off an 8-0 run. Notre Dame routinely got better shots and cashed them in more often, hitting 40.6 percent from the field to the Gamecocks' 33.3 percent shooting percentage.
Player of the half: Brianna Turner. The Irish freshman did most of her damage early, setting a tone that Notre Dame's frontcourt was ready to battle with South Carolina's bigger post players. Turner had eight of Notre Dame's first 15 points. Twice she outran South Carolina's Aleighsa Welch and Elem Ibiam down the floor for fast-break layups. Turner finished with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, and four rebounds.
Turning point: South Carolina, after falling behind early, slowly got back into the game and trailed just 25-24 with possession. A'ja Wilson got the ball on the right block in scoring position, but Turner blocked the shot, leading to a Notre Dame fast break and a Jewell Loyd jumper. That began a 7-0 Irish run that gave them the halftime cushion.
Key stat: Turner, Taya Reimer and Loyd each had 10 points and combined for all but two of Notre Dame's 32 points.
Key stat II: Despite some rather ordinary field goal shooting, the teams combined to assist on 19 of 25 field goals in the first half.
Two things Notre Dame has to do to win:
1. Hang in there on the boards. After a good early start, the Irish started to relinquish ground on the boards. South Carolina did not cash in on all the opportunities, but slowly began to control the rebounding numbers. Notre Dame outrebounded South Carolina 24-21 in the half.
2. Run where possible. The Irish scored seven early transition points that helped them to the big early lead. Notre Dame will have to continue to rebound in order to get out on the break, but transition has been its best weapon.
Two things South Carolina has to do to win
1. Get on the glass even more. The Gamecocks are not shooting it well from the perimeter and need their bigs to dominate.
2. Get Alaina Coates and Wilson in the game at the same time. The two young posts have played together often this season, but not much in the first half. They have been South Carolina's two best players and the offense has worked best when they have had catches in the paint.