South Carolina starts reign at No. 1 with rout of Missouri
In the first game as the No. 1 team in women’s basketball Thursday, South Carolina didn’t always look perfect.
But a massive rebounding edge and a strong defensive performance were enough to carry the top-ranked Gamecocks comfortably past Missouri on the road, 78-45.
USC (17-1, 5-0 SEC), accustomed to shooting out to massive first-quarter leads and then cruising, got off to a rough start at Mizzou Arena, where it has lost in its last two visits — the Gamecocks started 2-for-18 from the field, including 13 misses in a row over the course of more than six minutes. That wound up playing a major factor in South Carolina’s 38% shooting for the game, the team’s lowest mark in eight games.
The Tigers wasn’t that much better, however, shooting 3-for-13 from the field in the first quarter and allowing South Carolina to dominate the offensive boards. As the first quarter wore down, things got uglier and more physical, with more foul calls and some uncharacteristic turnovers, part of 18 total for USC on the game, tied for second most on the year.
“I thought we just made poor decisions at times,” coach Dawn Staley told the SEC Network in postgame interview, “where we were charging into them or just not making the correct pass to take the correct shot. ... But anytime you get a win on the road in conference, that’s a good thing.”
With just over one minute before the first-quarter break, sophomore guard Destanni Henderson sank a jumper to snap the streak of misses, and freshman guard Zia Cooke followed with another bucket as time expired to give Carolina a 12-7 lead.
Missouri kicked off the second quarter with a 3-pointer from freshman guard Hayley Frank, and the Tigers made three of their first five attempts to cut the deficit to three points.
In response, however, Gamecocks exploded for a 18-3 run, quickening the pace of play to coach Dawn Staley’s liking and turning defensive stops into transition offense. The burst was highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from senior forward Mikiah Herbert-Harrigan and Cooke, followed by a traditional three-point play — a layup and free throw — for Harris.
In addition to transition offense, the Gamecocks got plenty of second-chance opportunities by dominating the glass — USC had 25 offensive rebounds compared to 23 defensive ones for Missouri on the night. Conversely, the Tigers had just eight offensive rebounds compared to 37 defensive boards for Carolina.
After halftime, the Gamecocks held Missouri without a field goal for five minutes to start the third quarter, expanding its lead to 28 points as Harris put up four points and two assists and Herbert-Harrigan scored seven in the quarter. Both senior players reached double figures in scoring, joined by Cooke, freshman forward Aliyah Boston and sophomore forward Victaria Saxton in the fourth quarter.
“It’s not like one person that you could really key on to say, you know, we live or die with them. We spread it around, we do a great job of being unselfish,” Staley told the SEC Network.
And one
Victaria Saxton recorded the first double-double of her career with 10 points and 10 rebounds. It was also a new career best for her in rebounds. Aliyah Boston added a double-double as well, the seventh of her career, with 10 points and 10 rebounds as well.
Personal foul
For the first time this season in conference play, South Carolina trailed an opponent and failed to score 90 points.
Tip-in
Tyasha Harris recorded her second assist of the night with 3:04 left in the second quarter, passing to Zia Cooke for a 3-pointer. It was the 600th assist of her career, making her the first Gamecock ever to reach 1,100 career points and 600 career assists.
WHEN DO THE GAMECOCKS PLAY NEXT?
Who: No. 1 South Carolina (17-1, 5-0 SEC) vs. No. 10 Mississippi State (16-2, 4-0 SEC)
When: 7 p.m. Monday
Where: Colonial Life Arena
Watch: ESPN2
Listen: 107.5 FM in Columbia area
South Carolina Missouri box score
SOUTH CAROLINA (17-1)—Boston 5-12 0-0 10, Herbert Harrigan 6-11 0-0 14, Beal 0-2 3-6 3, Cooke 5-11 1-2 14, Harris 4-13 3-3 11, Amihere 1-7 3-4 6, Saxton 4-6 2-4 10, Wesolek 0-1 0-0 0, Grissett 0-2 5-6 5, Henderson 2-5 0-2 5, Thompson 0-1 0-0 0, Totals 27-71 17-27 78
MISSOURI (4-14)—Schuchts 1-3 0-0 3, Blackwell 6-17 0-2 13, Chavis 1-4 0-0 2, Roundtree 1-4 4-6 6, Smith 1-8 2-2 4, Frank 2-9 4-4 9, Brown 0-1 0-0 0, Green 2-5 0-3 4, Troup 1-4 2-2 4, Totals 15-55 12-19 45
Halftime—South Carolina 35-17. 3-Point Goals—South Carolina 7-16 (Herbert Harrigan 2-3, Beal 0-1, Cooke 3-6, Harris 0-2, Amihere 1-1, Henderson 1-2, Thompson 0-1), Missouri 3-16 (Schuchts 1-2, Blackwell 1-3, Chavis 0-1, Smith 0-4, Frank 1-5, Troup 0-1). Assists—South Carolina 12 (Harris 5), Missouri 5 (Blackwell 2). Fouled Out—South Carolina Amihere. Rebounds—South Carolina 62 (Boston 6-10), Missouri 31 (Blackwell 2-6). Total Fouls—South Carolina 17, Missouri 20. Technical Fouls—None. A—3,576.
This story was originally published January 16, 2020 at 10:26 PM.
