Gamecocks bring the rain, drop 112 points in rout of USC Upstate
Dawn Staley wanted to see more start-to-finish efforts from No. 5 South Carolina.
The Gamecocks gave her that in a historic performance against USC Upstate on Thursday, roaring to a 112-32 victory that set a new high for points, field goals and margin of victory for the program in her tenure.
“I thought we put 40 minutes, especially from a defensive standpoint” together, Staley said. “I thought they locked into what we needed. Offensively, I mean, we shared the ball. We had flow, we have rhythm.”
Six Gamecocks wound up scoring in double figures and 10 recorded points in a dominating effort. They ripped off a 27-2 run to start the game and never looked back, with star freshman forward Aliyah Boston tallying nine points in the first 10 minutes to carry the team to a 33-9 lead.
The barrage continued into the second quarter, as Boston set a new career high in points of 16 with 4:14 still left in the first half. She finished with her second consecutive double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds and has scored in double digits in every game of her young career.
“She’s a focal point for us, getting her the ball in the paint,” Staley said. “But when we don’t give her the ball in the paint, she rebounds the basketball. She’s been very consistent rebounding the ball. She’s been very efficient when we’ve gotten her the ball. She’s just a player that understands that she has to impose her will every single time we step on the floor, no matter what the competition.”
With Boston leading the way, the Gamecocks outscored the Spartans 62-6 in the paint. And on the outside, South Carolina shot 12-for-23 from beyond the arc. Senior guard Tyasha Harris drilled a pair from long range in the final minute before halftime and finished 4-for-5 from 3-point territory to go with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.
“I like that we got at least some of our 3-pointers to fall, because they were in rhythm,” Staley said.
With another 19-2 push before halftime, the Gamecocks led 64-18 at the break, tying for the third-most first-half points in program history.
And out of halftime, Carolina didn’t let up like it had against some of its previous opponents, an area Staley had harped on. Senior forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan and freshman guard Zia Cooke had eight points each in the third quarter, and USC Upstate had just one point through six minutes.
“After halftime, after we shoot and stuff like that, we huddle up and I tell them, the score starts over,” Harris said. “Just bring the same energy we brought in the first quarter.”
With South Carolina up 97-25 with 10 minutes to go, the only questions were what records the Gamecocks would wind up breaking or approaching. They surpassed the Staley-era high for points of 111 with 31 seconds to play and came one assist shy of the program best under Staley with 28 helpers. They also hit season highs in rebounds, 3-pointers, steals, points in the paint and held the Spartans to just 15.9% shooting.
“Inside, outside, we were just mismatched everywhere,” USC Upstate coach Tammy George said. “We tried to pack it back in, and then they started hitting shots, and then we came out on shooters and they punched the ball inside and had like 60-something points inside the paint. A great (freshman) class and I think they’re going to do very well.”
And one
With a layup in the third quarter, Harris scored her 1,000th career point, becoming the 34th player in program history to hit that milestone.
Personal foul
Just about the only disappointment was that no USC Upstate played missed two free throws late to give the fans free Chick-fil-A sandwiches.
Tip-in
As if the matchup wasn’t lopsided enough, South Carolina started the game with a two-point advantage after the officials called a technical foul on USC Upstate for its black uniform numbers not contrasting enough with the dark green of the jersey. Tyasha Harris sank the two free throws just before tipoff.
NEXT
Who: No. 5 South Carolina (5-0) vs. Clemson (2-3)
When: 2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 24
Where: Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, South Carolina
Watch: ACC Network
Listen: 107.5 FM in Columbia area
This story was originally published November 21, 2019 at 8:48 PM.
