Published Feb 14, 2021
WBB: South Carolina edges LSU
Chris Wellbaum  •  GamecockScoop
Staff Writer
Twitter
@ChrisWellbaum

#1 South Carolina jumped out to an early lead and coasted to a 66-59 win over LSU.

When the teams met three weeks ago, it was LSU that started strong, leading at halftime and forcing South Carolina to come from behind in the fourth quarter to win. On Sunday, South Carolina took control early and then held on throughout a sometimes ugly game.

LSU scored the first four points of the game, but then South Carolina went on a 12-0 run that lasted nearly six minutes. South Carolina led 17-7 after the first quarter thanks to six Tiger turnovers and nine second chance points.

That 12-0 run essentially held up for the rest of the game. LSU controlled the tempo and eliminated South Carolina’s transition game, while turnovers and fouls helped eliminate any flow, but that tempo doesn’t lend itself to a comeback. South Carolina had a 6-0 run in the second and third quarters to stretch the lead to 18, and LSU had its biggest run of the game, 6-0, in the fourth quarter.

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The game got interesting in the final two minutes. South Carolina missed six free throws in the fourth quarter as LSU crept back into the game. After a failed inbounds resulted in a turnover, Jailin Cherry hit a jumper to pull LSU within five at 64-59 with 25 seconds left. After the basket, South Carolina was able to run ten seconds off the clock and then freshman Eniya Russell calmly sank two free throws to clinch the win.

“We’re a good basketball team, but we’re not a great basketball team, and that’s the part that’s holding us back,” Dawn Staley said. “What’s holding us back is transition and halfcourt, making the right basketball play.”

South Carolina shot just 29% in the second half and looked like a team that was playing its third game in seven days. The Gamecocks committed 20 turnovers and 16 fouls, many of them reach-in fouls, not to mention the 16-25 performance from the line. South Carolina did get its usually rebounding dominance, plus-17 on the glass and plus-16 in second chance points, which was the saving grace.

“They controlled the boards which controlled the tempo of the game and allowed them to get second chance points. We didn’t compete on the boards,” Nikki Fargas said. “That’s (second-chance points) a huge deficit to overcome. When you’ve got a player like Aliyah Boston who can get you extra possessions it helps tremendously.”

Staley wanted to lean on her reserves, with mixed results. Destanni Henderson still played 37 minutes, scoring 19 points to go with two rebounds and three assists. Zia Cooke only played 30 minutes, scoring 13 to go with four rebounds and four assists, and sitting out the final seven minutes of the game. Aliyah Boston was once again dominant, but played only 27 minutes. Boston had 12 points, 13 rebounds, six blocks, and two assists, but she took a seat with 6:48 left in the game and never came back in, despite LSU’s comeback.

“I was pretty stubborn. I wanted them to finish it out. They need game experience. It’s a good teaching moment,” Staley said. “I chose to stay with it and coach them through it.”

Cherry led LSU with 19 points, but fouled out in just 23 minutes. Khayla Pointer was held to 11 points on 5-15 shooting, and the Tigers were no better on offense than the Gamecocks, as both teams shot 23-61.

Notes:

Sunday was South Carolina’s Pink Game. LSU wore pink uniforms. The Gamecocks wore white uniforms with pink shoes and pink warmup shirts. … Gamecock great Sheila Foster was recognized with a video tribute and nice ovation. Foster is a breast cancer survivor who battled COVID over the summer and recently coached her final game at Boiling Springs HS. … Foster is the Gamecocks’ career leader in double-doubles with 72. Boston notched her 23rd career double-double Sunday, and with two more she will enter the top ten. Boston is already third in career SEC double-doubles. … With the win, South Carolina likely clinched a top four finish in the SEC for the eighth straight season (since 2013). With games getting canceled the standings could come down to winning percentages and then who knows what would happen. … The win was South Carolina’s 31st straight SEC win, including the SEC tournament. That ties South Carolina with Tennessee for the second-longest streak in league history. The longest streak is 36 games, also by Tennessee, from 2010-12. … South Carolina called a timeout with 6.2 seconds left in the third quarter. Staley said she wanted to work on end-of-game plays, and it gave South Carolina a chance to do so. South Carolina had a pass knocked out of bounds and then settled for a long, off-balance air ball from Zia Cooke, so it would appear the Gamecocks need more work. … Khayla Pointer missed two free throws in the fourth quarter to win free chicken for everyone in attendance. It got the loudest cheer of the day. … South Carolina’s next game is Thursday at Tennessee.