Paoerful statement.

No. 1 South Carolina women’s basketball welcomed No. 11 UConn to Colonial Life Arena for the highest-profile game of the home regular season slate, a clash of blue bloods that has been sold out for months and drew all the national attention a regular season match-up can get.

But in a storied rivalry with players on both sides who have experienced it at the highest level, it was one getting her first taste of it who made the difference.

Te-Hina Paopao scored 16 in the first half and a season-high 21 in the game, leading South Carolina to a dominant 83-65 victory in front of a frenzied crowd.

Heading into Sunday, the Oregon transfer was mired in her worst slump of the season. The 3-point sharpshooting ace was shooting just 27.5 percent from beyond the arc over South Carolina’s (23-0) last six games, and she had only knocked down four five of her last 19 attempts overall.

But she slipped past her defender and hit a mid-range jumper on the first possession of the game. Some bubbling momentum. Then she stepped behind a screen and clocked in her first 3-pointer just moments later.

A 5-0 lead for the home team, and a clear message Paopao was locked in for the game.

By the end of the first quarter she had eight points, and she pocketed two more 3-pointers to force a quick Geno Auriemma timeout and establish a decisive early lead. When Chloe Kitts hit the third of her three straight buckets to open the second quarter, it gave the Gamecocks a double-digit lead.

And with 29 minutes left, UConn (19-5) never got back within 10. The Huskies had some moments, for sure. Paige Bueckers was her usual crafty self, almost single-handedly keeping her team somewhere in the realm of striking distance with a dozen first half points. Forward Aaliyah Edwards took advantage of some of the gaps created by Kamilla Cardoso’s absence with 10 of UCon’s first 12 points in the second half.

But as an actual competitive basketball game removed from individual brilliance, the Gamecocks outclassed their northern foes in every area. Ashlyn Watkins and Kitts forcefully controlled the game underneath at both ends of the floor with a combined 29 points. Raven Johnson lit up the Huskies for the second year in a row, not only scoring 10 points but also reeling in a career-high 12 rebounds for a double-double.

Most of all, as garbage time took over and the senses of South Carolina’s fifth win over the sport’s pre-eminent power in its last six attempts set in, one stat emerged.

Bench points: South Carolina 19, UConn 3.

Undisputedly, at least with three weeks to go in the regular season, the best team in the country.

Depth included.

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