Five things we learned from South Carolina’s upset of top-5 Maryland
South Carolina women’s basketball has only played two games so far this season, but the Gamecocks already have a signature win, going on the road to upset No. 4 Maryland, 63-54, on Sunday.
Here are five takeaways from USC’s big victory.
Aliyah Boston is on a rampage
A triple-double debut by the 6-foot-5 freshman got everyone’s attention, though some critics knocked it for coming against an inferior opponent in Alabama State.
There’s not much anyone can say to take away from her encore performance against the Terrapins — 14 points, seven rebounds and five blocks, not to mention an assist and no turnovers.
“For most of the blocks, I was just in help-side, so it was just where I was supposed to be dropping over when I needed to, and I think it worked great because then we were able to get out in transition and get easy buckets,” Boston said.
Her mere presence alone seemed like enough to deter Maryland from attacking inside, and it’s not as though the Terps don’t have length — 6-foot-5 Shakira Austin, 6-foot-3 Diamond Miller and 6-foot-1 Kaila Charles, among others, were all dominated physically by a freshman playing her first road game. If Maryland can’t stop her on a good night, there won’t be many teams in the country that can.
Senior leadership comes through
Perhaps a little overshadowed by Boston’s heroics, senior point guard Tyasha Harris put up an impressive stat line of 13 points, six rebounds and four assists without committing a single foul. She was on the floor 38 minutes, and coach Dawn Staley credited her for the team’s poise late whenever Maryland seemed primed to make a comeback run.
“We have a seasoned point guard. She’s been around the block a few times and obviously leads. The young players, they listen to her. She utilized her experience in being in big games and controlling our team out there on the floor. So she did what a senior point guard is supposed to do,” Staley said.
USC’s other senior leader, forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, also put up solid numbers — eight points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal. Like most of her teammates, she struggled to shoot the ball effectively, but after developing a reputation as an emotional, sometimes hot-headed player through her first three seasons, she was cool and collected in a game that got physical and intense at times.
Brea Beal quietly does it all
Freshman guard Brea Beal broke into the starting lineup after coming off the bench in USC’s exhibition, and she continued to solidify her spot Sunday. Without making a single basket, she scored eight points while also pulling down 10 rebounds, dishing four assists, coming away with a block and steal and not turning the ball over or committing a foul once. With Herbert Harrigan, she was tied for the second-highest plus/minus on the team.
“I love Brea Beal because she’s utility. Whatever you need, she provides. She didn’t make a basket, but her impact was felt, from a rebounding standpoint, from timely, driving it to the basket, getting to the free throw line. I just thought she played huge,” Staley said.
The defense can pick up the offense
There’s no way around it — South Carolina’s offensive numbers were pretty lackluster Sunday. The Gamecocks shot just 31.7% from the field and 11.1% on 3-pointers, averaged 0.851 points per possession and turned the ball over on more than a fifth of their possessions.
Most of the time, those numbers won’t cut it for a team. But the Gamecock defense was outstanding, limited Maryland to 31.4% shooting and 0.73 points per possession. Some of that was an off night for the Terps, but USC’s defense deserves credit for frustrating the home team and dominating the boards. It only resulted in nine turnovers, but Staley said the pressure wore down Maryland all the same.
Last year, South Carolina’s defense wasn’t a strong point, ranking ninth in the SEC and 227th nationally in points allowed per game. Having a better one to potentially fall back on this season could be big.
Rebounding revenge?
South Carolina’s freshmen weren’t there last season when Maryland out-rebounded the Gamecocks 53-29 en route to a 24-point win, but Staley was, and she remembers what it felt like.
“It was an embarrassment last year,” Staley said. “It was a true embarrassment on all levels. The young players that we have, they’ve played at the highest levels, they’ve played for USA Basketball, they’ve won gold medals. They understand the stage that they were gonna play on, and it was just a different show.”
That led to a 54-38 rebounding edge for South Carolina on Sunday, as USC scratched and clawed for loose boards all over the place. Four freshmen combined for 23 rebounds, and what had been a weakness turned into a major strength.
