Published Jan 30, 2020
WBB: Gamecocks set defensive records against Ole Miss
Chris Wellbaum  •  GamecockScoop
Staff Writer
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@ChrisWellbaum

South Carolina was careless at times, but easily defeated Ole Miss 87-32 behind a historic defensive performance. South Carolina set program records and tied NCAA records by holding Ole Miss scoreless in the first quarter and to just two points in the second quarter.

Entering the game, the fewest points South Carolina had allowed in a quarter was three, done three times, most recently earlier this season against Appalachian State. South Carolina broke that record twice. South Carolina led 18-0 after the first quarter, holding Ole Miss to 0-9 shooting with seven turnovers. That tied the NCAA record for fewest points allowed, set “many times,” according to the NCAA Record Book.

The Gamecocks nearly matched that in the second quarter, holding the Rebels scoreless for nine minutes. After 18 missed shots, Mimi Reid finally made a layup with 57 seconds remaining in the half to get the Rebels on the board. That basket saved the Rebels from breaking a record. The two points scored in the first half tied the record for fewest points in a half. Lipscomb had just two in the first half against Western Kentucky on Dec. 15, 2016. For the half, the Rebels were 1-20 with 15 turnovers and just 11 rebounds.

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The silver lining, if you can call it that, for Ole Miss was that it held South Carolina to 32 first half points, the fewest South Carolina had scored in an SEC game this season. South Carolina nearly equaled that in the third quarter, scoring 25 points.

Ole Miss had a virtual offensive explosion in the third quarter as well, scoring 12 points on 6-14 shooting.

Dawn Staley turned the game over to the bench by the end of the third quarter, leading to some skewed stat lines. None of the starters played more than 23 minutes. Mikiah Herbert Harrigan had 10 points, including eight in a 98-second span in the first quarter. Tyasha Harris had 10 points and five assists. Zia Cooke had eight points, and Aliyah Boston had seven points and eight rebounds in just 18 minutes.

That opened the door for South Carolina’s second unit. Laeticia Amihere led all scorers with a career-high 16 points and three blocks. She scored all over the court, making layups and going 2-3 from three, 2-2 from the free throw line. South Carolina also go nine points from Destanni Henderson, seven points from LeLe Grissett, and contributions from Olivia Thompson (six points) and Elysa Wesolek (five points).

For the game, South Carolina shot 53 percent while holding Ole Miss to 26 percent and tying the program record for fewest points allowed in an SEC game. The Rebels were just 13-50 with 19 turnovers and only 22 rebounds while the Gamecocks had 45 rebounds. Reid led Ole Miss with 12 points.

Notes:

South Carolina’s previous record for fewest points allowed in a half was seven, by Bethune-Cookeman in 2005. The fewest points ever scored in an NCAA game is 11. The fewest points ever allowed by South Carolina is 21. … Reid attempted Ole Miss’ first free throws with 6:16 remaining. … Thompson played a career-high 14 minutes. Wesolek tied her career-high by playing 10 minutes. … Ole Miss held a “powder blue out,” and the Rebels wore powder blue alternate uniforms. Following Georgia’s black out Sunday, South Carolina wore its rarely used garnet uniforms for the second color-on-color game in a row. … South Carolina wore Kobe Bryant warmup shirts, and Staley had custom-painted Kobe Bryant shoes. … Announced attendance was 1,225. ... South Carolina’s next game is Sunday against Tennessee.

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