There was never any danger of losing, not with this much of a talent advantage.

But on the night No. 1 South Carolina women’s basketball unveiled its third National Championship banner, the Gamecocks were far from a championship level for most of the contest.

South Carolina beat Coppin State 92-60 in the home opener, but turned the ball over 13 times and struggled to generate consistent half court offense for large swaths of play.

The efficiency did improve as the night wore on, but South Carolina (3-0) turned the ball over on 27 percent of its first half possessions, 10 times on 37 trips down the floor. Coppin State (2-2) of course had a significant size and athleticism deficit, but still did enough to force the Gamecocks into their second, third and sometimes even fourth actions in halfcourt offense as possessions stalled.

"Our guards are not connected for some reason or another," Dawn Staley said. "They're pressing a little bit. It's natural. We'll get back into the flow of things."

At this stage of the season, the progression for South Carolina is about finding its go-to options, the easy button offensive maneuvers it can rely on. And even on shaky ground, there were still a few reliable options.

For starters, Chloe Kitts was every bit of her dominant self again. Just as she did in Las Vegas against Michigan, she flew out of the blocks while her teammates staggered in the early minutes and kept the offense afloat.

Kitts had eight of her team’s 10 points before the first media timeout, and continued her forceful presence with consistent strong drives to the rim. She finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, her second 19-point double-double in the first three games.

"I feel really confident," Kitts said. "It's the second game I've played. I just feel more confident day-by-day. I think the offseason for me was just staying inh weight room. I spend more time in the weight room than I do getting up extra work, because I realized that was more beneficial to me."

And if you want easy offense, there is no surer way to find it than with MiLaysia Fulwiley. Smooth as ever, consistently attacking the basket and this time stepping out to shoot a little bit more. Fulwiley knocked down four 3-pointers, just one off tying her career-high. Likewise her point total also pushed the high-water mark of her young career, with the 23 she scored — 13 in one flurry after halftime — just one point away from the career mark.

Kitts and Fulwiley alone were more than enough to overpower an overmatched opponent, but the second half was a more encouraging performance beyond the two star scorers. There were only three turnovers after 10 in the opening frame, and the assist number ticked up by one as well. Joyce Edwards and Maryam Dauda showed some life in the post with 10 points apiece, and Te-Hina Paopao — another form of easy offense for the Gamecocks — got her offense going after a slow first half with a two made 3s and three assists after the break. And for a team still very much still in a learning phase, all help is appreciated.

"Collectively, I think our team is going to be alright. It's just we've got to settle in. And we've got to play a lot more lean, because we don't have a 6-foot-7 [player] that we just hrowit in to and she shoots 60 percentfrom the floor and she blocks shots. So we have to do it another way"

The before and after stats were stark. Just 1.16 points per possession before the half, and 1.63 after. Assist-to-turnover ratio going from one to 3.6.

"It was just playing cleaner," Kitts said. "Coach was talking to us at halftime and telling us we needed it up. We had like 10 turnovers at halftime."

And a 15-point lead turned into a 32-point victory.

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