Bench busts out of slump to take Gamecocks ‘to another level’ against Georgia
Two weeks ago, Dawn Staley noticed something small that concerned her a little.
As the South Carolina women’s basketball team, on the verge of rising to a No. 1 ranking, cruised to a big win over Vanderbilt, the Gamecocks’ bench players weren’t quite as crisp as they normally were.
“I told our bench that they didn’t really, they didn’t bring it,” Staley said afterward. “They usually take our team to another level. We just made costly mistakes.”
The final stats were still lopsided — South Carolina’s reserves outscored Vandy’s 34-18. But in Staley’s never-ending pursuit of greatness, the bench’s struggles were a noticeable blip.
The Gamecocks have a nine-player rotation, and Staley has said on multiple occasions that the ones coming off the bench are more than capable of starting. Sophomore guard Destanni Henderson, junior guard LeLe Grissett, sophomore forward Victaria Saxton and freshman forward Laeticia Amihere all average more than 13 minutes and 4.5 points per game.
That Vanderbilt win, however, marked the second game in a row where USC’s non-starters weren’t up to Staley’s standards; against Arkansas, the Gamecocks were outscored after a big first quarter, and a Razorback surge in the fourth quarter forced Staley to put her starters back in the game.
“We got a good team, but we’re not there yet where we’re able to put teams away. And if you are fortunate enough to build a big lead, you should be able to finish them off, but it’s hard against a team like Arkansas, especially if you don’t stay locked in,” Staley said at the time.
Those issues reached a critical point against Mississippi State, when the reserves contributed a season-low six points combined and all finished below 0 in plus/minus, meaning USC was outscored with them in the game. While South Carolina’s scoring as a team had gone up in SEC play, from 81 points per game in nonconference play to 89.2, the bench’s production hadn’t gone up with it, dipping slightly from 26.2 points per game to 25.7.
And against Georgia this past Sunday, the same problem seemed to arise again. The Gamecocks once again raced out to a massive lead behind strong performances from starters. Then things went downhill in the second and third quarters, as the reserves got more time and the Lady Bulldogs actually outscored USC.
Especially without the senior leadership of guard Tyasha Harris and forward Mikiah Herbert-Harrigan on the floor, Carolina seemed a little out of sorts on both sides of the floor, letting poor shots turn into some defensive mistakes.
But this time around, with the lead still at 18 points, Staley decided to leave her starters on the bench. All of them except freshman Zia Cooke didn’t play a minute in the fourth quarter.
And suddenly, things clicked. The Gamecock reserves tallied 22 points, while holding Georgia to just six on 15.8% shooting. Henderson, coming off a four-game stretch in which she averaged just 4.5 points per contest, reached 14. Grissett, efficient but not explosive in league play, scored all 11 of her points in the final 10 minutes.
“Our bench hasn’t really been as sharp as it normally is. And I thought they ended the game extremely well. This is something that really we can watch a lot of film on and kind of boost their confidence up. Because we usually ... have gotten our lead cut into in the second quarter and then the third quarter and then the fourth quarter,” Staley said.
“And I guess they’re saying they need to stay out there for longer stretches in order for them to kinda feel it a little bit. And I thought it was a great opportunity to leave them out there, let them fight through some things, and they did well on both sides of the ball.”
Outscoring Georgia’s reserves 34-15, South Carolina’s bench players had arguably their best performance in SEC play to date.
And that could wind up playing a difference down the stretch — Staley being able to trust her bench will keep the rotation deep and the number of minutes the starters have to play low. Fatigue can lead to an increased risk of injury, and it never hurts to have as small a drop-off as possible between first and second units.
