ATHENS, Ga. — Business handled, and it’s on to Texas.
South Carolina women’s basketball entered its game against SEC cellar dwellers Georgia just needing to stay focused and avoid injuries before its road showdown at No. 4 Texas on Sunday, and the Gamecocks did just that. South Carolina stormed out to a 12-2 lead and never faced any serious game pressure in a 74-42 win at Stegeman Coliseum.
This is SEC win number 57 in a row for South Carolina (22-1, 10-0 SEC), and it was never really in doubt. After Georgia (9-15, 1-9 SEC) scored the opening basket of the game, the Gamecocks ripped off a dozen points in front of a mostly garnet and black crowd on the road. Georgia coach Kate Abrahamson-Henderson deployed her usual paint-packing 2-3 zone, a system which has given the Gamecocks trouble in all three meetings over the last two seasons.
But there would be no halftime deficit or single-digit game in the fourth quarter tonight. Joyce Edwards, Sania Feagin and Chloe Kitts took turns camping out in the middle of the zone, collecting passes and either going up strong or distributing the ball back out to open guards. Te-Hina Paopao knocked down two 3-pointers in the run, and Bree Hall had the first of her two in the game. On the evening South Carolina shot 8-of-19 from 3-point range, its most made in a game since it beat Oklahoma on Jan. 19.
And as always playing a zone as opposed to a straight man-to-man, rebounding was a problem for Georgia. It always is for opponents against South Carolina’s large front line, but the positioning of the zone made the Bulldogs ripe for the picking. The Gamecocks won the rebounding battle 46-28 and 13-7 on the offensive glass, led by Feagin’s nine.
"I thought we did a better job of boxing out," Dawn Staley said. "I thought we did a better job of just scapping. If we couldn't get it, hit it out. Chloe was gret, Feagin was great, I thought Tessa [Johnson] got in there, and just was scrappy. We'll need every bit of that as we move forward.
Late in the first half with a 16-point lead already in tow, Staley started experimenting. Specifically, she busted out a concept she has not used all season. With Paopao, Raven Johnson, MiLaysia Fulwiley and Maddy McDaniel on the court, it was a four-guard look.
Four guards, and true freshman center Adhel Tac anchoring it.
The group only played a little over two minutes together, but did outscore the Bulldogs by four and at least provided Staley with some proof of concept for her idea.
"It was just to get a shooter in there," Staley said. "They were playing small ball, too, so we just kind of matched up with them and spaced the floor to see if we could get some penetration and some kickouts and just move the zone a little bit. I thought Maddy did a great job today. We've been working with her to get her back to her pre-Christmas form, and I think she's getting there. She's about there."
The fact she could test out lineups in the first half summed up the evening, though. The Gamecocks allowed an SEC-low 42 points, blocked eight shots, forced 17 turnovers and took over defensively for as straightforward a win as you will ever find at this time of year.
All the better for this team, too, because Sunday figures to be anything but with the re-match at Texas on the horizon.
"They're a great team, and we're a great team" Kitts said. "It'll be very fun, especially because we get to go to Texas. We've never been to Texas and played over there, so I'm super excited for that."
*******************************************************************************************
Looking to continue the conversation? Join us on the insider's forum to talk all things South Carolina women’s basketball.
