South Carolina shook off some early rust and rode the hot shooting of Zia Cooke to a 103-41 win over Temple.
Playing their first game in 11 days, it took the Gamecocks a few minutes to get back in game mode. Actually it was eight minutes. The Gamecocks and Owls were tied at 14 with two minutes left in the first quarter, and then Cooke went to work. After a Victaria Saxton layup broke the tie, in the span of 21 seconds Cooke scored on a spinning floater in the lane and a three-pointer. The quick 7-0 run turned into an 11-0 run, and then a 20-4 run. The Gamecocks led by 19 at halftime, and then used a 20-2 third quarter run to turn the game into a rout. Then they finished the game on a 14-1 run just for good measure.
“We were a little lethargic,” Dawn Staley said. “I wasn’t too concerned about it because they’re thinking and I want them to think. Now that they’re thinking hopefully it will become habit.”
Aside from those first eight minutes, it was vintage South Carolina. Cooke made the breathtaking plays. Aliyah Boston dominated the paint. Lockdown defense created easy offense. The ball never stopped moving until it found an open shooter.
Cooke led the way with a season-high 23 points, becoming the eighth-fastest Gamecock (39 games) to reach 500 career points. She tied her career-high with five made threes, but what really stood out was her efficiency. Cooke shot 8-11 from the floor and 5-7 from three. She added three rebounds and four assists, with only two turnovers. One of those was a behind the back pass to a wide-open Destanni Henderson that was so nifty it caught Henderson completely off guard. That led to a quick lecture from Staley, who reminded Cooke to slow down and be smart (“She knows I like to do the fancy stuff,” Cooke said, admitting her mistake.)
“I figured it was going to be a pretty good night off the week of practice that I’ve had,” Cooke said. “I definitely can’t win the game on my own. I want to keep my percentages high, so if I’m not open I don’t take the shot.”
Cooke had plenty of help, and that was key. South Carolina had 22 assists on 39 made baskets, led by seven from Henderson. Five players scored in double figures. The ball got inside, by feeding the post or driving, leading to 54 points in the paint. Boston played just 22 minutes, but had 14 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks. For the second game in a row, she looked like her freshman self.
After using the same starting five for the first five games of the season, Staley made a switch. Victoria Saxton missed part of practice last week following a death in the family, so Staley felt Laeticia Amihere was more prepared to start. She replaced Saxton at power forward, and the move seemed to benefit everyone. Saxton finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks, her best game since the opener against College of Charleston. And despite playing just 14 minutes, Amihere continued to flash moments of brilliance, scoring 11 points (making all five of her free throws), to go with three rebounds and a steal. Amihere said it doesn’t matter whether she starts or comes off the bench.
“I’m going to do whatever coach needs for this team to win,” Amihere said. “Whatever position she puts me in I’m going to have to own it, because she knows best.”
Aside from the numbers, Amihere’s versatility helped open up the offense. She was able to create more offense out of the high post, her ball-handling helped start the break, and, what was nearly the play of the game, she stole the ball, dribbled up court, and was oh-so-close to finishing with a dunk before the defender affected her balance just enough.
“Oh yeah, 100%,” Amihere said. “I was going for it.”
“That is the motion I saw two years ago (when Amihere dunked in a game),” Staley said. “When she came over during the timeout I asked her if she was going to do it. I think she’ll get one in this year.”
South Carolina held Temple to 23% shooting. The Owls made three of their first five shots and then just 11 of 55 over the next 35 minutes. Similarly, The Owls held an early 9-3 rebounding edge. It was erased by halftime, and by the end of the game South Carolina dominated the glass with a 54-30 rebounding edge. Last season, South Carolina was outstanding at turning defense into offense, and it was able to do the same against Temple. South Carolina got a whopping 30 points off 18 Temple turnovers (and allowed just four points off six turnovers), and had a 28-3 advantage in fast break points. Staley believes all those numbers are a sign of a maturing team that is starting to play smart.
“They’re thinking. They’re asking questions like, is that a bad shot,” Staley said. “If we can eliminate some of the bad plays we can lift their confidence up.”
Notes:
There was a tie-up on the opening tip. That led to one of the rarest sights in college basketball: a second jump ball. … The players are off for the next seven days. Eight are going home to be with family, while three are staying in town because of safety concerns. The team will reconvene Christmas day. … Temple coach Tonya Cardoza had an all-time opening statement: "That was a waste of time. They thoroughly kicked our ass." … Mia Davis led Temple with 17 points. … South Carolina’s next game is December 31 against Ole Miss.
