WBB: South Carolina shuts down Ole Miss
South Carolina beat Ole Miss 68-43 in a defensive showcase.
Last season South Carolina held Ole Miss scoreless and the fourth quarter and didn’t give up a basket until the final minute of the first half, tying records for the fewest points allowed in a quarter and half. There were no records this season, but against a much better Ole Miss team, the defense might have been even better.
South Carolina once again held Ole Miss to just one field goal in the second quarter, although Shakira Austin also made a pair of free throws. Ole Miss shot just 1-15 in the second quarter and, including the start of the third quarter, missed 14 consecutive shots over 10:05.
There was no letup in the second half. Ole Miss shot just 3-19 and missed another ten consecutive shots over a five-minute span in the third quarter. A 5-13 shooting fourth quarter was as good as it got, and Ole Miss finished the game shooting 26.2%, just barely edging the 26.0% the Rebels shot last season. It was the lowest shooting percentage South Carolina has allowed in SEC play and tied for the fewest points allowed.
“We’ve upped the ante when it comes to playing grittier and not taking plays off,” Dawn Staley.
Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin called South Carolina the most physical team Ole Miss has played all season
“We definitely got manhandled today,” McPhee-McCuin said. “Their experience, their toughness, their aggressiveness wore us down.”
The defense masked an offensive performance that was at best inconsistent. South Carolina shot just 41%, had more turnovers than assists,
Zia Cooke caught fire in the first quarter, scoring the Gamecocks’ first eight points and 12 of the first 17. She was the spark plug during a 13-2 run that put the Gamecocks ahead for good.
“When I play like that I don’t know what the feeling (is),” Cooke said. “I get in those modes where I do that, and then I cooled off.”
As she said, even Cooke wasn’t immune to the offensive lulls. After the fast start she missed eight straight shot attempts and never found the same spark. Cooke finished the game with 17 points on 7-23 shooting.
LeLe Grissett had 12 points and five rebounds off the bench, and Victaria Saxton had 10 points and eight rebounds. Brea Beal broke out of a mini slump with eight points and nine rebounds. She had just eight points total in the last three games, including a scoreless outing against Kentucky.
Aliyah Boston had just seven points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocks. It was just the second time in her career, both this season, that Boston has been held to single digits scoring in consecutive games. Boston mostly worked out of the high post Thursday, an effort to spread the court, especially when Ole Miss played zone, and let Boston be a facilitator. The trade-off is that Boston isn’t on the low block where she can shoot more. Boston shot just 1-4 for the second game in a row. Staley called it fool’s gold, saying they can’t expect to win with Boston only taking four shots.
“We’ve had to play through Aliyah as of late. She is more calm and more poised in that situation,” Staley said. “We’re trying to figure out how to do that (get her shots) without losing that poise.”
Notes:
With the win, South Carolina set up a title game Sunday at Texas A&M. If Texas A&M beats Alabama Thursday night, the game would be for an outright title. If Texas A&M loses, South Carolina would clinch at least a share. … Shakira Austin led Ole Miss with 22 points. She was held to six rebounds, breaking a streak of five consecutive double-doubles. … The rest of the Rebels combined for just 21 points. Only Valerie Nesbitt (seven points on 3-10 shooting) and Donnetta Johnson (four points on 2-11 shooting) even made more than one basket. … South Carolina was 8-14 on layups and 17-24 on free throws. … South Carolina’s next game is Sunday at Texas A&M.
