South Carolina survived a scare from Auburn Thursday night to win 71-63 at Colonial Life Arena.
A'ja Wilson and Tyasha Harris led the Gamecocks all night, and were especially big in the fourth quarter. Wilson had 19 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocks, including seven points, three rebounds, and two blocks in the fourth quarter. But Wilson left the game in the final seconds with a sprained right ankle, and had to be helped to the locker room, putting her availability for Sunday's showdown against Tennessee in jeopardy. Harris finished with 12 points, 11 assists, six rebounds, and four steals, her second straight double-double. Harris scored five straight points after the Tigers pulled within in six.
South Carolina outscored Auburn 30-10 in the first quarter, and it looked like the game would be a blowout. South Carolina was aggressive and focused after suffering its first conference loss of the season. It was easily breaking Auburn's press, and Wilson was dialed in, looking to bounce back from her worst game of the season.
But it all fell apart in the second and third quarters. Auburn's press started forcing turnovers. After committing just four in the first quarter, South Carolina committed 13 in the second and third quarters. Shots stopped falling for South Carolina, and they finally started going in for Auburn. Auburn coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said she couldn't repeat what she told her players after the first quarter, but she got her message across.
"It's my birthday. Let's just say I told them happy birthday," she said. "I told them you've got the jitters out, now please go compete."
USC head coach Dawn Staley praised Auburn for playing well, but blamed her team, especially the bench, for lacking intensity.
"We let our foot off the gas and got pretty complacent," she said. "Any time you do that against an Auburn team, they feed on that. It's like blood in the water for sharks.
"I thought we tried to swing for the fences and hit home runs," Staley continued. "Singles are fine. Doubles are fine."
The Tigers used runs of 9-0 in the second quarter, and 10-0 and 11-2 in the third quarter to close what was once a 22-point lead to a 55-48 deficit after three quarters. The end of the third quarter was especially hard to swallow for the Gamecocks. Daisa Alexander buried a three, and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan was called for an unsportsmanlike foul away from the ball. Janiah McKay, who tortured the Gamecocks all night with 27 points, made both free throws and the Tigers kept the ball. Tyasha Harris then fouled Alexander on a jumper, and Alexander made both free throws to complete a seven-point possession for the Tigers.
South Carolina settled down again in the fourth quarter, and focused on getting the ball to Wilson. Wilson scored the first two baskets of the fourth quarter, but South Carolina was unable to shake Auburn. Leading just 62-56 with 5:35 to play, Wilson grabbed a rebound and passed ahead to Harris. She pulled up in the lane for a jumper, which bounced all around the rim before falling in. Harris then forced McKay into a travel, and on the other end she nailed a three from the corner. Harris' 5-0 run put South Carolina back up double digits and in control for the rest of the game.
"I needed it to go in and calm all of us down," Harris said of the pull-up jumper. "We got overwhelmed and we started throwing the ball everywhere. It was a mental thing and our fatigue got to us."
Of course, Wilson's injury dominated the postgame conversation. Harris said Wilson was her usual "happy-go-lucky self" getting treatment after the game. Staley said that the injury does not appear to be serious, but that it will have to be evaluated Friday. She is inclined to hold Wilson out of practice Friday, regardless of what the prognosis is.
"She could probably take a day off and still be ready to play on Sunday," Staley said.
Notes:
Earlier Thursday, Wilson was named to the Wooden Award midseason top 25 list. Wilson has made the list all four years of her career. ... Wilson scored her 2,000th career point with 2:21 left in the first quarter. She is only the third women's player to score 2,000 points, joining Sheila Foster and Shannon Johnson. BJ McKie is the only men's player to top 2,000 points. ...South Carolina outrebounded Auburn 36-30. ... Attendance was 12,011. ... South Carolina's next game is Sunday against Tennessee.
