The Minnesota Golden Gophers' women's team cruised to a win in the first round of the Women's Basketball Invitational, beating the Charleston Southern Buccaneers, 80-51 at Williams Arena.

The Gophers started strong and never looked back, shooting 57 percent from the floor in the first half to take a 50-22 lead to the break. The Buccaneers were never able to rally back as Minnesota cruised home to victory. Micaella Riche and Kiara Buford each had 12 points to lead Minnesota.

The No. 2 seed Gophers will now host the No. 3 seed Bradley Braves in the quarterfinal round of the tournament on Sunday at Williams Arena. Minnesota is the top remaining seed in the East Region of the 16-team tournament after top-seeded Robert Morris lost their opening game to Manhattan.

For more on the Golden Gophers, check out The Daily Gopher. You can also learn more about women’s basketball in general at SB Nation’s Swish Appeal.