Ty Harris used to defer ‘win-or-lose shots.’ Now she sends USC to Sweet 16 with them
With 29 seconds left to play in Sunday’s second-round NCAA tournament game between South Carolina and Florida State, the Gamecocks were clinging to a 65-64 lead with the ball.
A basket could ensure FSU could at worse tie the game on the next possession. Three points would make it a two-possession game. Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley called timeout.
In the huddle at Halton Arena, Staley called a play for junior point guard Tyasha Harris.
“We set a play up for Ty to have the ball and make a decision whether she wants to shoot it or dump it to someone,” Staley explained. “What happened was we wanted to run it whether it was man or zone. I didn’t specify if they were in zone to continue to run it. I just said, you know, this is what we’re running. More times that’s a man play for us, but you know Ty had the whereabouts to get the ball and create a play.”
Sure enough, the Seminoles played zone defense, and the play sputtered. Harris, in a decisive moment, put her head down and drove the lane, putting in a layup off the glass while being fouled. She then made the free throw to put USC up 68-64, essentially icing the game and sending Carolina to the Sweet 16.
It was a big moment for a player more used to setting up big moments.
For two years now, Staley has talked about her desire for Harris to take more shots and play a more direct role in the Gamecocks’ offense. The results haven’t always been pretty — Harris is by nature more of a facilitator, Staley knows, and early this season she was pressing too hard, trying to be a player she just wasn’t.
But with USC’s season on the line, Staley gave Harris the choice to pass or score, and she scored. It was a move both player and coach acknowledged probably wouldn’t have happened a year or two ago — unlike some players who seem to naturally seize every big moment, it was a learning process for Harris to take control.
“Coach Staley’s been getting after me since last year that I need to start taking those win-or-lose shots and just having that mentality that at the end of the game, you’re going to have to be the decision maker, and I did it,” Harris smiled. “So she’ll be happy about that.”
“Ty has only played with Alaina Coates, Kaela Davis and A’ja Wilson. She defers in those instances,” Staley said. “I made a point to let her know that the ball was going to be in her hands and to go make a play. I was thankful that she decided to shoot the ball and take it to the basket. The and-one was a bonus. I was happy that she progressed in that moment to take that moment on.”
On social media, Wilson, who often refers to Harris as her twin, noted Harris’s growth from her freshman year, when she missed two late free throws in a tense win in the second round of the tournament over Arizona State.
The only late mistake Harris made Sunday was talking about the crucial play, accidentally revealing the name of the play Staley called in the timeout — “Miami Vice.”
Not that Staley minded in the grand scheme on things.
“I think a lot of teams know what we play and our play calls. They still have to guard it,” Staley said. “Ty did a great job at executing and making it look real good out there.”
BOX SCORE
FLORIDA ST. (24-9)
Gillespie 6-21 1-1 15, Myers 1-4 1-2 3, Ekhomu 8-18 2-4 19, Jones 7-14 1-2 15, Woolfolk 2-13 2-2 6, Lassiter 0-0 0-0 0, Weber 3-3 0-0 6, Wilkinson 0-3 0-0 0, Totals 27-76 7-11 64.
SOUTH CAROLINA (23-9)
Jennings 7-13 2-2 16, Cliney 1-5 0-0 2, Cooper 4-6 3-6 13, Harris 3-9 4-4 11, Henderson 2-4 0-0 4, Herbert Harrigan 6-10 7-8 20, Saxton 0-1 2-2 2, Cuevas-Moore 1-7 2-2 4, Jackson 0-1 0-0 0, Totals 24-56 20-24 72.
Halftime: USC 37-30. 3-Point Goals: Florida St. 3-14 (Gillespie 2-7, Ekhomu 1-3, Woolfolk 0-3, Wilkinson 0-1), South Carolina 4-12 (Cliney 0-2, Cooper 2-2, Harris 1-3, Henderson 0-2, Herbert Harrigan 1-1, Cuevas-Moore 0-2). Assists: Florida St. 10 (Ekhomu 4), South Carolina 12 (Cooper 4). Fouled Out: Florida St. Myers, Rebounds: Florida St. 50 (Gillespie 18), South Carolina 33 (Jennings 7). Total Fouls: Florida St. 23, South Carolina 14. Technical Fouls: Florida St. Gillespie 1, Attendance: 2,030.
This story was originally published March 24, 2019 at 9:35 PM.
