SOUTH CAROLINA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The Gamecocks hit the bayou, taking on LSU while trying to stay undefeated in the SEC.

1. Defense

South Carolina doesn’t have anyone you would think of as a lockdown defender, but through three conference games, they are making a defensive statement. Chennedy Carter, the SEC’s leading scorer, had 19 points, but that was below her average and she was a non-factor in the second half, scoring just three points. Florida’s Funda Nakkasoglu was the SEC’s second-leading scorer going into the game against South Carolina, but she had just 10 points on 4-12 shooting, and never got anything going.

Te’a Cooper drew the assignment on Carter and made Carter work for everything, wearing her out in the second half. Part of Cooper’s success came from attacking Carter on the defensive end, preventing her from using that end of the court to catch her breath. The effort against Nakkasoglu was more of a team effort, but no less impressive.

The SEC’s top four scorers, and six of the top seven, are guards. South Carolina’s defense will be tested again, but the early returns are promising.

2. The new-old Bianca

Bianca Cuevas-Moore was an unexpected starter against Florida, and when her name was announced the crowd responded with a loud cheer. Cuevas-Moore has always been something of a crowd favorite, and her play during the national championship run hasn’t been forgotten. Neither has the knee injury that cost her all of last season, or her decision to come back to South Carolina after initially deciding to transfer to West Virginia for this season, or the patience she showed working her back, and the reward of finally starting again.

“I felt like against Florida and LSU it was probably a good time for her to get inserted into the starting lineup,” Dawn Staley said. “I think she ran out of gas a little bit just from the adrenaline of starting.”

Cuevas-Moore missed the first three games of the season rehabbing her knee, and her playing time was limited once she returned. Her conditioning still isn’t what it could be, and Staley has to monitor her minutes, but Cuevas-Moore said her knee feels “amazing,” and she is back to being a key part of the rotation.

The most surprising thing about her play this season is that Cuevas-Moore has become a steadying influence. She was always talented and explosive, a lightning-quick player who could change a game with her defense or shooting. The problem was, you never knew which team she’d change the game in the favor of. She could shoot South Carolina out of a game just as often as she could bury an opponent.

This year is different. The offensive flow is noticeably smoother with Cuevas-Moore in the game. She keeps the ball moving and the offense doesn’t stagnate. She has, so far, refrained from taking ill-advised shots or making bad turnovers. And she is still a difference-maker on defense. She’s averaging 1.3 steals per game, right in line with her career average, and had five steals in the huge win at Purdue that changed the trajectory of the season.

“She’s a difference maker for us,” Staley said. “We wanted to use these games to gear up for the stiffer competition in our league.”

3. Feast or famine

The biggest concern for the Gamecock in the 3-0 conference start has to be the lack of three point shooting. Three-point shooting has been an all-or-nothing proposition for the Gamecocks all season, but they are just 22 percent from behind the arc in the SEC, even with the 8-20 performance against Florida. The Gamecocks were 1-12 against Alabama and 2-18 against Texas A&M. Freshman Destanni Henderson is the only player with a made three in each game, and she is only 3-10 combined.

LSU isn’t the best opponent to try to get hot against. The Tigers are allowing opponents to shoot just 28 percent from three.

4. Rebounding

After entering conference play with just a +2.8 rebounding margin, South Carolina is averaging +6.7 per game in the three conference games. That includes a three rebound edge on Texas A&M, a traditionally strong rebounding team, and a whopping 14 rebound advantage on Florida.

Part of that is due to the emergence of Mikiah Herbert Harrigan as a rebounder over the last month, but she only had one rebound against Florida. Rebounding has become a team effort. Behind Herbert Harrigan’s 8.7 rebounds per game, Alexis Jennings is averaging 6.3, LeLe Grissett is averaging 5.0 rebounds in just 7.3 minutes, an absurd rate, and Tyasha Harris and Te’a Cooper are grabbing 4.7 and 4.3, respectively, from the guard position.

5. Scouting the Tigers

LSU is 11-4 overall, the same record as South Carolina, and 2-1 in the SEC, but the record is a little hollow. LSU loaded up on a weak non-conference schedule, and the SEC wins are over Texas A&M and bottom-dweller Ole Miss. Of course, you can say the same thing about South Carolina, which has wins over Texas A&M and bottom-dweller Florida.

The Tigers like to slow the pace and play tough defense. They average just 64 points per game despite, or because of, 10.5 steals per game. Only two Tigers average double-figures scoring, Ayana Mitchell, who is just shy of a double-double with 13.6 points and 9.9 rebounds, and Kayla Pointer, who averages 12.5 and 5.0 assists.

South Carolina has won eight straight over LSU, but LSU is pulling out all the stops Sunday. Tickets are $1, and the first 1,000 fans get a t-shirt as LSU tries to pack the arena.

The Ws

Who: #21 South Carolina (11-4, 3-0) at LSU (11-4, 2-1)

When: Sunday, January 13, 5:00 pm

Where: Maravich Center, Baton Rouge, LA

Watch: SEC Network

More Basketball Links: MBB & WBB News | MBB Roster | MBB Schedule | MBB Statistics | MBB SEC Standings | MBB Top 25 Polls | MBB Commitments | MBB Recruiting Database | WBB Roster | WBB Schedule | WBB Statistics | WBB SEC Standings | WBB Top 25 Polls | WBB Commitments