WBB: Gamecocks host No. 4 Baylor
SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
South Carolina continues its non-conference murderers’ row Sunday when it hosts No. 4 Baylor.
Baylor will be the third top-ten opponent in just eight games for South Carolina, and the Gamecocks are looking for their first win. Maryland routed South Carolina in Columbia, 85-61. Oregon State led most of the way and then survived a fourth quarter comeback in Vancouver. Now Baylor comes to town, with its top-ranked recruiting class and 6-7 All-American center Kalani Brown. This will be the first ever meeting between two of the most successful programs of the last 10 years.
Time for Ty
At times, Dawn Staley has practically begged Tyasha Harris to look for her own shot more. Such aggressive play is not Harris’ style, although when she looks to score she is usually successful. After a slow start to the season, Harris has started to find her place in the offense.
Harris had 18 points against Drake and she took over the game against Dayton. She scored 24 points, including 12 in the third quarter when she was able to change the tempo of the game to help South Carolina run away.
Can I get an assist?
The Gamecock offense has struggled with consistency this season, and one of the most alarming statistics to go along with that is the lack of assists. The Gamecocks simply aren’t generating offense as a team, relying instead on individual plays. The Gamecocks are averaging just 13 assists per game this season, and had just seven against Oregon State and a dismal three against Dayton.
It’s a surprising struggle, given that Harris set the school record for assists in an SEC season last year and averaged 6.1 assists per game. There are some explanations that make sense. Alexis Jennings works slowly in the post, so there aren’t many assists when she goes inside. South Carolina has also missed a bunch of open threes that would boost the assist numbers. And when the defense is playing its best, South Carolina is forcing turnovers on the perimeter and getting breakaway layups.
But there are also some areas for real concern. The offense still doesn’t have an identity. When Harris has to score, she isn’t creating for others. And Te’a Cooper is a shoot-first point guard who needs a lot of shots to get her points.
“We’re a work in progress,” Staley said. “There’s growth on our team.”
Block party
It would stand to reason that with the graduation of the career leader in blocked shots, A’ja Wilson, South Carolina would struggle with rim protection. Instead, South Carolina is better than ever. It tied the program record for blocks in a game with 16 against Clemson and is fourth in the nation with 7.6 blocks per game. Mikiah Herbert Harrigan is averaging 2.0 blocks per game, with four blocks against Dayton and Clemson, and Victoria Saxton is averaging 1.8, with a career-high five against Clemson.
The blocks have come in bunches, perhaps because opponents mistakenly think they can go inside now. Wilson’s mere presence made opponents stay out of the lane, but there is nobody who is similarly imposing this year. Herbert Harrigan has a knack for sneaky blocks, coming from behind or the weak side, not the volleyball spikes that Wilson did.
Scouting the Bears
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Baylor is big, strong, and deep. Brown, the daughter of former NBA player P.J. Brown, earns most of the attention, but another center, Lauren Cox, is also on the preseason Wooden Award Watch List. It’s a tough matchup for the guard-oriented Gamecocks.
“We need to speed them up,” Jennings said. “I think we’re going to need to do that to defeat them and also be very aggressive with them and box them out.”
The Ws
Who: #18 South Carolina vs No. 4 Baylor
When: Sunday, December 2, 7:00 pm
Where: Colonial Life Arena
Watch: ESPN2
