USC must improve, or ‘we could see our first defeat — or defeats’ soon, Staley says

Through four games this season, South Carolina’s record remains unblemished — but the team’s play has been far from flawless.

Cut out a quarter here, a quarter there, the occasional five-minute stretch, and the Gamecocks (4-0) look every inch the national title contender they want to be. But it’s those little lapses that have coach Dawn Staley’s focus as she tries to lead USC to a defense of last year’s championship, and it’s what has her warning her players that if they don’t improve soon, they will lose.

That was the message after Sunday’s 94-60 thrashing of Wofford. The final score made it seem as though heavily-favored South Carolina was never threatened by the Terriers, but through the first quarter it looked as though Wofford might actually pull off the upset, leading 24-20 after 10 minutes.

And the game before that, at Clemson, the Gamecocks led just 5-4 after the first five minutes and were outscored by the Tigers in the fourth quarter, 13-7.

And before that, against Maryland, USC led by 20 points with seven minutes left to play, only to allow the Terrapins to close within three points late.

In each instance, the Gamecocks pulled together to win, but Staley has not shied away from expressing her concern about those stretches.

“We’re challenged when it comes to being mentally tough (in terms of) practicing, our approach to it,” Staley said after Wofford. “And we gotta get better, because it doesn’t get easier.”

After Clemson, Staley said she was “disappointed” with a lack of focus from her players.

“When you’re focused, you don’t have the lapses we had in play,” she said.

“You have to be disciplined. You have to stay in character,” Staley said after the Maryland game. “I told them ... ‘You’re going to be fatigued, something’s going to give. Physically you’re going to get tired, because you look tired. And that’s when mentally you need to kick in.’ ”

Those lapses and breakdowns are all part of a young team still growing up and learning how to follow the lead of experienced veterans like A’ja Wilson and Lindsey Spann. But as they happen on the fly in the midst of a challenging schedule (nine Gamecocks’ opponents were ranked in the latest AP poll), South Carolina is teetering on the edge of its first loss of the year as it enters the Florida Gulf Showcase this weekend, Staley said.

“We’ve got three games in a row we need to play Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and if we’re not any better, we could see our first defeat — or defeats,” Staley said after the Wofford matchup.

However there are several positive takeaways from Wofford and the early season.

1. A’ja Wilson is a double-double machine

Through her first three seasons at South Carolina, Wilson had recorded 30 career double-doubles. It’s not far-fetched to think she might match that number in this season alone. Through four games she’s had a double-double every time, and even on an “off” day like Wofford, she still had 17 points and 13 rebounds in just 19 minutes.

2. Alexis Jennings is rock solid

The transfer from Kentucky has not been as flashy in her first four games as a Gamecock as Lindsey Spann — she’s averaging 8.5 points per game, just sixth on the team.

But when the rest of the starting lineup was spinning in place a bit to start Sunday, it was Jennings who made sure things didn’t get out of hand, scoring eight points and grabbing three boards to keep it close. She’s averaging eight rebounds a game now, is second on the team in blocks and ranks third in steals. Her play has also allowed Wilson to try new things and play outside the low post more.

3. Bianca Jackson is the early freshman of the year for USC

Coach Dawn Staley said before the Wofford game that her level of comfort with South Carolina’s three freshmen can be seen in the amount of playing time they each get. By that metric, it’s no comparison: Bianca Jackson has played 100 minutes thus far, while Lele Grissett and LaDazhia Williams are each below 50. In fact, Jackson currently ranks fourth on the team in minutes.

And in those minutes, she has done a little bit of everything, averaging 5.3 points, 3 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 0.75 blocks per game. Granted, she’s had more opportunity than Grissett and Williams as a stretch guard, where the Gamecocks are a thin without the injured Bianca Cuevas-Moore, but still, her numbers and intangible impact have been noteworthy.

This story was originally published November 20, 2017 at 5:32 PM with the headline "USC must improve, or ‘we could see our first defeat — or defeats’ soon, Staley says."