GREENVILLE, S.C. — Chloe Kitts was so locked in, she had to tell the world about it.
Maybe a few too many specifics, though.
South Carolina women’s basketball’s junior forward ripped off a career-high 25 points, including seven in a row in the fourth quarter to propel the Gameoccks to an 84-63 win over Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
Dawn Staley called her play early and often. Why not?
“I was just going out there and playing confident,” Kitts said. “My coaches, and the point guard, kept saying ‘14,’ which is kind of, ‘Get the ball to me.’ I just delivered.”
Staley might need to change the number on that particular play call before Saturday’s semifinal, but the momentary lapse was about the only foot Kitts put wrong all day.
After Vanderbilt (22-10) sliced South Carolina’s (28-3) comfortable 25-point advantage into a nervy five-point edge with just 3:58 to go, the teams went into the final media timeout. The Gamecocks were staggering, the Commodores were surging and it was the closest thing to adversity South Carolina faced all day.
South Carolina had the ball out of the timeout. Kitts scored inside. Next trip down, she hit a mid-range jumper. After another stop — and Kitts defensive rebound — she muscled inside again. Fast forward another possession, and she drew contact and scored at the free throw line.
It was a personal 7-0 run to more than double the lead, the bulk of her 11 fourth quarter points South Carolina needed every bit of to finally put Vanderbilt away.
"It was amazing,” depth forward Maryam Dauda said. “It was exciting. It's just [about] making sure she gets the ball when she needs to. She was putting the team on her back."
The hallmark of this South Carolina team is its depth, the idea that nine, even ten different players are capable of going off on a given night. Six different players have led the team in scoring at least twice, and 12 have at least one double-digit game.
Almost always, it is the reason the Gamecocks win. The depth comes in waves, it wears down opponents and defenses just have too many holes to plug at once to contain every scoring threat.
Until you get in a close game, when you need someone to take over when the chips are down. In the past, the likes of Aliyah Boston and A’ja Wilson have represented obvious answers. Even as members of deep rosters themselves, there was no question where the ball would go when the Gamecocks needed a bucket.
Kitts did not solve the conundrum by herself against Vanderbilt, but she was comfortable and unstoppable in the biggest moments.
“I mean, this is really who Chloe is,” Staley said. “Starting to play very consistent basketball. She wants the ball in her hands. She wants to be a playmaker. She wants to be the one that can score it or dish it to a teammate. I thought her teammates did a really good job of finding her. I thought she did a really good job of making the play.”
It is the ultimate hypothetical, but always worth posing in March. If the National Championship Game is tied with 10 seconds left, who gets the ball? While Southern Cal can point right to JuJu Watkins, UConn can push the Pagie Bueckers button and UCLA can pinpoint Lauren Betts, where does South Carolina go?
At least today, in a postseason setting, it was Kitts. And it was highly efficient.
“Thanks,” a sarcastic Staley shot back after Kitts let the play number slip. “You just told them our play.”
In fairness to Kitts, everyone knew where the ball was going anyway.
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