Gamecocks race by Vanderbilt to set up potential rise to No. 1 ranking
In a game dominated by runs, No. 4 South Carolina had the bigger ones, riding hot stretches and an overwhelming third quarter to a 93-57 win over Vanderbilt in Nashville on Sunday.
Coming into the contest, USC coach Dawn Staley complimented the pace of Vandy’s play, saying it reminded of her of pro concepts. But it was the Gamecocks (16-1, 4-0 SEC) who dominated with speed, outscoring the Commodores 21-9 on the fast-break and converting 16 turnovers into 27 points.
Five different South Carolina players scored in double figures, led by freshman guard Zia Cooke with 17 points.
And midway through the contest, No. 3 Oregon State lost to Arizona State, joining No. 1 UConn and No. 2 Oregon in the upset column this past week and potentially clearing the path for the No. 4 Gamecocks to ascend to the top spot for the first time since Feb. 9, 2015.
South Carolina’s main competition for the top spot will likely be Baylor, which was No. 6 when it beat No. 1 UConn on Thursday. The Associated Press poll is scheduled to be released Monday afternoon.
Freshman forward Aliyah Boston, coming off a 19-point, 25-rebound game against Arkansas this past Thursday, scored South Carolina’s first four points and Vanderbilt, and USC forced three turnovers in a row to race out to a 9-0 lead.
The Commodores responded with a 6-0 burst in less than a minute, but seniors Mikiah Herbert-Harrigan and Tyasha Harris sank back-to-back buckets to get South Carolina ahead comfortably once more with an 8-0 run.
Vanderbilt surged back into the game in the second quarter, however, with an 12-2 run led by sophomore guard Chelsie Hall and senior forward Mariella Fasoula, as Gamecocks shot just 2-for-8 from the field and turned the ball over four times in that stretch.
“No matter how much you think your team is playing well, they’re young, and this is a new environment for them, so sometimes it takes a little bit to to adjust,” Staley said in her postgame interview on the SEC Network. “We knew Vandy would have a run in them.”
But with a defensive adjustment and some zone, USC recovered to force six consecutive misses from Vandy to close the half, and Herbert-Harrigan drilled a 3-pointer to spark yet another run for South Carolina, this time an 11-0 stretch, to restore a 14-point lead at halftime.
“We wanted to play fast, we wanted to make sure that we get shots at the basket and we get up and down the floor and get some easy buckets,” Staley said on the SEC Network. “But mainly our defense was our key, because we try to generate some offense from our defense.”
After the break, freshman guard Zia Cooke helped keep that run going with five points in another 10-0 run that extended USC’s lead past 20 points.
From there, the Gamecocks were off to the races. After Vanderbilt’s second quarter run cut Carolina’s lead to three points, the Gamecocks outscored the Commodores 45-8 in one stretch to push their lead to 40 points. Cruising home, Carolina held Vanderbilt to 34.3% shooting on the night.
And one
For the fourth consecutive game, South Carolina scored 90 or more points, a program first. It’s also the most 90-point games the Gamecocks have had in an SEC season in program history.
Personal foul
Near the very end of Sunday’s contest, Vanderbilt junior forward Autumn Newby went down in extreme pain, holding her knee. She had to be carried off the floor with fewer than 20 seconds left on the clock.
Tip-in
Zia Cooke struggled for a few weeks after scoring 27 in her homecoming game against Dayton in the third game of the season. Over the last seven games, however, she’s scored at least 12 points in every contest.
WHEN DO THE GAMECOCKS PLAY NEXT?
Who: No. 4 South Carolina (16-1, 4-0 SEC) vs. Missouri (4-13, 1-3 SEC)
When: 8:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Missouri
Watch: SEC Network
Listen: 107.5 FM in Columbia area
This story was originally published January 12, 2020 at 6:53 PM.
