Bombs away: Tina Roy’s 3-pointers give Gamecocks another offensive weapon

She was treated as a novelty.

Yes, she could shoot a 3-pointer, and yes, she was a competent point guard – but as a backup in an already decided game.

Mostly, Tina Roy was known as South Carolina’s lyricist. The composer of the team’s song for the past three years, Roy wrote new lyrics over hip-hop tunes, and the Gamecocks would play it before home games. She also was a great teammate.

She wasn’t recruited because she was a great teammate. She was recruited because she was a great basketball player.

On Friday, she proved it one more time.

Roy played a season-high 29 minutes, scoring 12 points, all on 3-pointers. While she didn’t record an assist, she also didn’t record a turnover. Of her 3s, all came in clutch situations – the first tied the game in the first half and sent USC to a lead it held until 13:44 remained in the second, her second and third either broke ties or pushed USC ahead by four when North Carolina cut the deficit to one.

Her last was when the Tar Heels were threatening to run away with it, up four with 4:22 to go. Roy, who was strafing them from Guilford, bulls-eyed another and cut the deficit to one.

“For us, she’s one that can stretch the defense out, and I just thought she would have been a little bit more aggressive, like she was in the second half,” coach Dawn Staley said. “But thankfully she made some shots when we needed to make the shots, and that’s what you want. You want to call on the senior in those situations, and you know they have been through a lot in our program, and I was happy she just came through and always stayed ready.”

Throughout the past two seasons, early reporters to USC’s practices have seen Roy always as the last to leave, shooting her way around the perimeter. She has to hit 50 from each of the five spots, or at least 40 of 50, before she can leave; other times, she goes for 100 from each spot.

“Most people think that I just can shoot the 3,” Roy said. “I can shoot mid-range, too, but I prefer to shoot the 3.”

As they prepare for the game that could mean their first Final Four, the Gamecocks prefer that Roy stays hot. Roy knows it.

But first, coliseum security asked her to please vacate the court – Florida State needed to practice.

This story was originally published March 28, 2015 at 11:10 PM with the headline "Bombs away: Tina Roy’s 3-pointers give Gamecocks another offensive weapon."