USC came close vs. Mississippi State. What did Staley learn for potential Round 3?
Dawn Staley’s point Sunday was in the specific context of how South Carolina rebounded the basketball against Mississippi State in its 68-64 loss. But in some ways, it could apply to the whole game.
“From a rebounding standpoint, it didn’t feel like it felt the first time that we played them,” Staley said.
That first time, on Jan. 17 in Starkville, had the Gamecocks battling back and forth, playing an even contest with the higher-ranked Bulldogs before fading in the fourth quarter for an 89-74 defeat.
The second time, on Sunday in Columbia, USC seemed to have the decisive upper hand for most of the game. It was only a disastrous third quarter that sank the Gamecocks. Other than that, Carolina outscored MSU 56-49 and led 39-32 at halftime.
A major difference in the two games was how Staley’s team managed to slow Mississippi State’s All-American center, Teaira McCowan. In January, she had 26 points and 24 rebounds, 15 and 9 at halftime, respectively. On Sunday, she had just 4 points and six rebounds after one half and finished with 18 points and 17 rebounds — still strong numbers, but a definite step back.
“We mixed it up. We played a box and one, we played a 2-3 (zone) on baseline out of bounds plays. We just did a really good job of mixing up our defenses to not allow them to settle in and get shots where they wanted to get shots,” Staley said of her team’s strategy.
In the course of six weeks, the Gamecocks went from a 15-point defeat to a four-point loss. Now, they’ll have a week before a potential Round 3 with the Bulldogs in the SEC tournament championship. The two programs are the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in the tourney and considered the clear favorites to advance to the title game, which would mark their fourth consecutive meeting in the finals.
Should South Carolina make it to the championship and face Mississippi State again, or any other team with a height advantage like McCowan has, Staley said the Gamecocks need to push even harder on the glass.
“Just boxing out is not going to be the trick. With Mississippi State and teams that are ball magnets, you have to give two, three, four efforts. You have to be determined and relentless enough to not give in until the possession is in our hands,” Staley said.
Staley also wants junior guard Tyasha Harris to replicate her performance Sunday, when she scored 20 points on 16 shots and distributed three assists.
“If we get more of that out of her, especially being as efficient as she was, with (senior forward Alexis Jennings and junior forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan) and everyone else playing better, I think it makes us a much better basketball team,” Staley said.
All told, Staley likes the way her team’s coming together, and if they do meet Mississippi State in the championship, she said she and her squad feel confident about their chances.
“We feel good about where we are. A lot more players are playing better, we can call on a lot more people in meaningful minutes and they deliver for us. It’s just figuring out what’s the best combination to put out there on the floor,” Staley said.
