SOUTH CAROLINA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

South Carolina bounced back from its first loss of the season with a 68-53 win over Washington State.

In the loss to Indiana, South Carolina was done in by poor shooting, foul trouble, and defensive lapses. South Carolina mostly corrected those problems on Friday.

The Gamecocks started fast, racing out to a 13-2 lead and leading 25-9 after one quarter. They led by as many as 19 in the second quarter, but the Cougars clawed back into the game by halftime. The Gamecocks missed several layups, and the Cougars made three consecutive threes in the final two minutes as part of a 12-2 run to end the half and cut the lead to just 37-32.

The second half started like the first, with a 13-3 Gamecock run. Both offenses sputtered towards the end of the third, but the Gamecocks led by ten going into the fourth. Mikiah Herbert Harrigan scored six straight to start the quarter, and the Gamecocks held on from there.

The margin of victory would have been larger, but South Carolina struggled from the free throw line. They got to the line 20 times, but made just eight free throws. Herbert Harrigan (4-8) and Laeticia Amihere (1-6) were the main culprits, but nobody shot over 50 percent.

Herbert Harrigan finished with 20 points and four rebounds, her second 20-point game of the season. Aliyah Boston fouled out in just 14 minutes Thursday, and she seemed to be trying to do too much in front of her hometown. Boston had foul issues Friday, but was more under control. She had 15 points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes, and got to rest the final three minutes.

Herbert Harrigan and Boston were the only Gamecocks in double figures, but Brea Beal had an outstanding game. She only had four points and four rebounds, but she drew the biggest assignment defensively: Borislava Hristova, who entered the game averaging 21.4 points and 6.4 rebounds, both team highs. On the Cougars’ first offensive possession, Beal forced a tie up on Hristova and then a missed shot. On the next possession, she forced Hristova to turn the ball over. It was that way all game, and Hristova finished with just nine points on 4-15 shooting, with three rebounds and four turnovers.

As a team, South Carolina held Washington State to 40 percent shooting and was plus-nine rebounding. South Carolina shot 48 percent from the floor. They only made two three-pointers, the same number they made against Indiana, but they also only attempted five, unlike the 19 last night.

South Carolina’s next game is the much-anticipated matchup against Baylor on Saturday night.