WBB: Gamecocks host App State
SOUTH CAROLINA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
#22 South Carolina (4-4) hosts Appalachian State (5-3) Wednesday night, trying to get back in the win column.
Silver lining
Following the Baylor game, Dawn Staley was more encouraged than the final score might indicate. She focused on each quarter, and in the final the quarters, Baylor only won by three, two, and one point. It was the 32-13 first quarter that was too much to overcome.
The last three quarters were encouraging, the rebounding was encouraging,” Staley said. “It’s a tighter game in the last three quarters.”
Staley has bemoaned the fact that the through this daunting early season schedule the Gamecocks have not been at full strength. Whether it has been players like Alexis Jennings, Bianca Cuevas-Moore, and Nelly Perry recovering from injury, or simply the number of new faces and new roles she is trying to integrate, the Gamecocks haven’t had much time to work on themselves.
On the bright side, Staley hopes that hopes that learning under fire will pay of in conference play and, hopefully, March.
“We’ve learned lessons throughout our four losses and four wins,” Staley said. “Only time will tell if we utilize those lessons to help us win big games.”
Look at LeLe
Sophomore LeLe Grissett recorded her first career double-double against Baylor, grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds to go with 11 points. Grissett showed flashes of talent as a freshman (22 points against Vanderbilt last season), and has taken on a bigger role this season. Her numbers predictably improved this season with more playing time, but she hadn’t made a big leap forward in production.
That has changed in the last two games, which also were the first two games this season that Grissett was in the starting lineup. She had eight points and nine rebounds against Dayton, and recorded her double-double against Baylor in just 16 minutes due to foul trouble. Staley has struggled to figure out where to put Grissett in the rotation. She feels like Grissett is better off the bench, but then she has responded well in her two starts.
“Her seeing the game a little bit as the game starts, I think she’s more into it then,” Staley said. “I think she can play wherever though. She just wants to help the team. Hopefully we’ll get a few more practices under our belt and figure out who to start at that position.”
Grissett’s biggest contribution doesn’t show up on the box score. She “quarterbacks” the Gamecocks’ full court press, which, when it has been deployed, has been the Gamecocks’ most effective defense.
“She’s really good at it and she seems tireless,” Staley said. “She plays athletic. She plays with an ability to change direction and ability to create havoc by getting directions. She plays with the speed of a guard.”
Scouting the Mountaineers
South Carolina and Appalachian State were once frequent opponents, but have played just twice since 1997, both South Carolina wins in Columbia. The last meeting came in 2011 in the WNIT, Staley’s first postseason appearance at South Carolina. South Carolina leads the all-time series 11-4 and has won six straight.
Like the Gamecocks, the Mountaineers have struggled to score at times this season. They shoot just 38 percent from the floor and 27 percent from three, and despite a winning record have been outscored on the season. But there is one thing the Mountaineers do well: rebound. They average almost 44 boards per game, and junior center Bayley Plummer has pulled down 20 rebounds in a game twice already this season.
“They know the type of shots they want to get,” Staley said. “We have to win the intangible battle and loose balls and 50-50 balls.”
The Ws
Who: South Carolina vs Appalachian State
When: Wednesday, December 5, 7:00 pm
Where: Colonial Life Arena
Watch: SEC Network+
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