It took a half to get going, but #1 South Carolina used a big third quarter to pull away from South Dakota for an 81-71 win.
The Gamecocks had an 8-0 run in the first quarter, but for the most part looked tight as the Coyotes clawed back and led for much of the second quarter and were tied at halftime. The Gamecocks were overly aggressive on defense, allowing open looks for the Coyotes. Offensively, the Gamecocks were getting to the rim, but weren’t finishing or making free throws. They were just 7-21 on first half layups and 5-11 from the line.
You got the sense that South Carolina would break out in the second half. Those layups would have to start falling. Plus Brea Beal and Aliyah Boston were limited to eight first half minutes with foul trouble, and LeLe Grissett didn’t play at all.
“I thought South Dakota played great basketball,” Dawn Staley said. “I thought we played subpar basketball. I thought we looked completely unorganized at times. I thought we looked rushed. I knew we had another gear in us.”
The third quarter was completely different right from the start. Zia Cooke hit a jumper, and then Laeticia Amihere, who missed six first half layups, drew a foul, made a layup, and hit the free throw. Suddenly, South Carolina looked like South Carolina again. Cooke and Destanni Henderson were getting by defenders for layups, South Carolina was blocking shots, crashing the glass, and getting out in transition. South Carolina shot 71% from the floor and made four of five layups and seven of nine free throws to lead 68-48 going into the fourth.
“In the third quarter South Carolina really imposed their will, South Dakota’s Dawn Plitzuweit said. “Basically anything that could have gone in the wrong direction for us at that point in time went the wrong way.”
Amihere was the star of the third quarter, living up to all the preseason hype and making plays on both ends of the court. On one play she grabbed a defensive rebound and dribbled past everyone to the other basket for a layup. Another time, she blocked a shot, ran down court, got the ball back for a pump fake, and then a drive and layup. She finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks.
“In the first half I was going up soft,” Amihere said. “I need to be a lot stronger in the paint. Once I’m doing that and trying to get contact and finish through contact that’s really what helped me.”
Overall, the game was very similar to the matchup between the two teams last year in Columbia - right down to the Gamecocks relaxing in the fourth quarter and letting the Coyotes make the score close at the end. Last season, the Gamecocks took a 20-point third quarter lead, but ended up only winning 73-60. This year, Staley wanted to get different players some fourth quarter experience, which helped open the door for the Coyotes to claw back within single digits with less than a minute to play. The Gamecocks used a crunch time lineup of Aliyah Boston, Zia Cooke, LeLe Grissett, Eniya Russell, and Olivia Thompson, a lineup that may never see the floor again this season, let alone in the fourth quarter of a tight game.
Staley called the decision to sit Grissett for the first half and Saxton for the second half a “coach’s decision,” and said before the game she informed both of her decisions.
“We looked at it as a learning experience for all of our players,” Staley said. “We played a variety of players and hopefully they gained some experience through this and will be able to help us next game or halfway through the season.”
Cooke and Henderson led South Carolina with 19 points each. Henderson also tied for the team lead with a career-high nine rebounds. Amihere also had nine rebounds to go with 11 points and three blocks. Boston had 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals. South Dakota got 18 points from Chloe Lamb and 13 points and 12 rebounds from Hannah Sjerven.
Notes:
South Carolina used the same starting lineup as the last game: Destanni Henderson, Zia Cooke, Brea Beal, Victaria Saxton, and Aliyah Boston. Laeticia Amihere replaced Saxton to start the second half. … Amihere played 31 minutes, a career-high. Her previous career-high was 23 against College of Charleston in the season opener. Her high last season was 22, and she only played 20+ minutes twice. … During her postgame Zoom press conference, Plitzuweit looked at the wrong person and, realizing her mistake, sighed, “It’s the third quarter all over again.” … Discussing all of the missed layups, Staley said, “Unless we’re going to push their elbows up and help them follow through I don’t know what more we can do for them.” … South Carolina’s next game is Sunday against #21 Gonzaga at 3:00 pm.
