No. 6 Gamecocks shoot and block their way to blowout win over App State
South Carolina’s defense seems to be in midseason form.
The sixth-ranked Gamecocks held an opponent to less than 30 percent shooting for the third time in four games as they rolled to a 92-50 victory over Appalachian State Sunday afternoon at Colonial Life Arena.
The Mountaineers finished at 26.9 percent. The best outing by an opponent this season came when Maryland shot 31.4 percent Nov. 11. It’s the third time the Gamecocks have held an opponent to 50 points or less this season.
“We can do a lot of things from a defensive standpoint,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. “It’s a key to our victories, no matter who we’re playing or what we’re doing. Our kids seem to like playing it because it leads to the offensive side of the ball, which they probably love more than defense.”
What’s even more impressive is that the Gamecocks are rotating so many new faces into the lineup. The No. 1 recruiting class — headlined by Aliyah Boston, Zia Cooke and Brea Beal — has brought a refreshed intensity to practice and game days since their arrival.
“It’s a different feel,” Staley said. “The level of competition is there every single time we step on the floor.”
The way South Carolina (4-0) started the game couldn’t have been any better. They raced to a 32-0 lead before Appalachian State finally scored on a 3-pointer from Lainey Gosnell with 20 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The Mountaineers missed their first 17 shots and the 1-for-18 first quarter percentage tied for the worst shooting outing by a USC opponent in a quarter — matching the College of Charleston 1-for-18 performance Dec. 5, 2017.
The Gamecocks led 35-3 at the end of one quarter and 53-9 at the half.
“At certain points, you stop looking at the score and just look at execution,” Staley said. “For our team, we were just trying to maintain some focus on both sides of the basketball.”
Mikiah Herbert Harrigan led the way with 21 points. Five other players scored in double figures. Destanni Henderson scored a season-high 16 points with Aliyah Boston adding 14 points and 10 rebounds, Tyasha Harris chipping in with 11 points and Brea Beal and Victaria Saxton contributing 10 points each.
South Carolina added a season-high 25 assists on 37 made field goals.
“Our offensive flow is something we’ve really been focusing on along with our defense,” Herbert Harrigan said. “It was great to have everybody touching the ball, moving the ball and putting up good shots.”
And one
South Carolina came into the contest first in the country in blocked shots per game at 11.3 and increased that number against the Mountaineers. The Gamecocks set a school record with 17 blocks; Boston and Herbert Harrigan each had four.
Personal foul
After the 32-0 start by South Carolina, they only outscored the Mountaineers 60-50 the rest of the way. The first two quarters were about as good as USC could play, but the concerning part to Staley was being outscored 41-39 in the second half.
Tip-in
South Carolina played without redshirt freshman Laeticia Amihere. She was with Team Canada at the FIBA Women’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying Americas Tournament in Edmonton. She is averaging 3.0 points and 3,3 rebounds per game.
NEXT
Who: South Carolina vs USC Upstate
When: 7 pm Thursday
Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia
TV: Streaming on SEC Network Plus
This story was originally published November 17, 2019 at 3:53 PM.