Wilson leads No. 2 Gamecocks over No. 14 Duke

A’ja Wilson did it again.

“She was pretty much the only one that was being aggressive and making shots,” coach Dawn Staley said. “She played pretty special tonight on both sides of the ball.”

Duke agreed – and wants no more part of the South Carolina sophomore.

The Gamecocks’ standout forward turned the No. 14 Blue Devils inside-out in a 66-55 win on Sunday, scoring a career-high 28 points and keeping No. 2 USC (8-0) unbeaten. It was the 37^th straight home victory for the Gamecocks and was a repeat of last year’s game at Cameron Indoor Stadium – Wilson won that one on a putback in the final seconds.

This time, she jabbed and poked at the Devils until she could deliver the knockout. That was when she blocked Duke star Azura Stevens with 4:30 to play, which became a run-out and basket from Alaina Coates.

The Gamecocks outscored Duke 11-0 after the Devils had taken a 50-49 lead with 6:23 to go. Wilson carried the team throughout the second half and kept the deficit from getting too deep.

“I honestly just went with what Duke gave me,” Wilson said. “I just really kind of let the game come to me.”

She had to, after a rough start had the Devils collecting fouls and USC sputtering offensively.

The Gamecocks were pounding away with Coates and Wilson until Duke began to deflect passes and turn to its own post players. The Gamecocks’ interior game was being denied, Tiffany Mitchell was locked into a 3-for-13 day and when USC got to the free-throw line, it missed.

Staley made it simple – get the ball to Wilson and make free throws.

“We tried to get them to not think about what happened,” she said. “I thought we got the right people on the line in the second half.”

Duke took the lead but USC was starting to hit from the line. A 3-for-11 start had a 13-for-17 finish as the Gamecocks pulled away in the final four minutes.

“Defense. Defense sparked it,” point guard Khadijah Sessions said. “Defense brings offense.”

TURNING POINT

Sessions dove on a loose ball with 5:03 to play and the Gamecocks trailing by one. Duke guard Angela Salvadores was whistled for a technical foul on the play. “She kicked me – I don’t think she did it on purpose,” Sessions said.

Mitchell sunk two technical free throws and Sessions made one to restore the lead. That started an 11-0 run.

3 POINTS

Star of the game: Wilson was dominating inside, taking bumps but still able to lay the ball in. Her outside jumper was on display in the first period as well.

Play of the game: Sessions’ dive took away Duke’s momentum and gave the Gamecocks all the room they needed.

Stat of the game: 16-of-28 from the line didn’t please many … but USC hit 13 of its final 17.

FROM THE BASELINE

Good Bianca: Bianca Cuevas is getting better every minute. Yes, she’s still prone to some cover-your-eyes moments, but the sophomore is a flashy and skilled floor general. On a two-on-one break, she fed Coates with a behind-the-back pass that John Roche could have endorsed.

It’s coming: Coates and Wilson is a heck of a 1-2 punch on the block, but Jatarie White is improving every day. She’s aggressive to the basket and should factor in several future games.

UP NEXT

Who: South Carolina vs. Winthrop

When: 2 p.m., Sunday

Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia

TV: SEC Network

This story was originally published December 6, 2015 at 3:59 PM with the headline "Wilson leads No. 2 Gamecocks over No. 14 Duke."