Gamecocks bounce back from first loss with 18-point win over No. 23 Iowa State
After the South Carolina women’s basketball team lost its first game in more than a year this past week against N.C. State, coach Dawn Staley vowed that the problems the No. 1 Gamecocks had would be corrected the next time they took the court.
USC proved her right Sunday against No. 23 Iowa State, coming out hot and pushing hard the entire way in a 83-65 victory.
“We’ve had more focused practices the last couple of days, and rightfully so. Our players just embraced it,” Staley said. “I think they really understand how we need to play and what they need to do in order for us to win any style that’s being played out there. ... I mean, it felt great. It felt great to know that our players had that laser focus to bear down and complete the task, because, you know, this was a hard game.”
Sophomore guard Zia Cooke led the way with her most efficient game of the young season, tallying a team-high 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting in addition to four assists. Sophomore guard Brea Beal added a season-high 13 points, and star sophomore forward Aliyah Boston bounced back from a frustrating outing to put up a double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds.
“When we’re in rhythm, or any team is in rhythm, it’s a high possibility that they’re going to make shots,” Staley said. “I thought for us, we had our 3-ball balling, we just had good flow. I thought we simplified the offense, so we forced our players to reverse the ball. And because of that, we found ourselves getting pretty much any kind of shot that we wanted inside or out or midrange.”
The Gamecocks’ bounce-back performance started quickly, with a 10-0 run to open the game powered entirely by Beal and Boston. Iowa State then responded with a quick 7-0 run of its own, exploiting South Carolina’s aggressive defense for backdoor cuts and layups.
But USC’s defense adjusted, and the Cyclones missed 12 consecutive shots spanning the end of the first quarter and the start off the second quarter, allowing South Carolina to build a comfortable 44-30 halftime lead that never dipped below double digits in the second half.
3 OBSERVATIONS
1. After going 2-for-12 from 3-point range against N.C. State, South Carolina didn’t shy away from the long ball against the Cyclones. Beal hit the first attempt of the game just over a minute in, and from there, eight different Gamecocks let it fly from beyond the arc. South Carolina’s 13 made 3-pointers marks the program’s most since Dec. 21, 2018 — the Gamecocks made six in the third quarter alone.
2. One of Staley’s biggest frustrations after the loss to the Wolfpack was the lack of offensive flow, with players breaking down and trying to do everything themselves — Staley compared it to their high school days. The passing was much better Sunday, with a season-high 21 assists. That would have marked the fourth most assists in a game last year as well. Junior guard Destanni Henderson, who struggled some against N.C. State, led all players with seven assists.
“That was the main thing for us,” Cooke told ESPNU after the game. “Coach tells us she wants us to get shots in flow. So that was the main thing for us, make sure we’re sharing the ball, no selfish play, and it showed tonight.”
3. Iowa State star guard Ashley Joens was able to continue her torrid start to the season, putting up a game-high 32 points — when she checked out for the last time late in the fourth quarter, she had accounted for more than half her team’s points. But outside of her, the Cyclone offense simply never got going, shooting just 30% from the field without her and 13.6% from 3.
NEXT GAME
Who: No. 1 South Carolina (4-1) vs. Temple (0-1)
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17
Where: Colonial Life Arena
TV: SEC Network
Box score, stats
SOUTH CAROLINA (4-1)—Boston 6-11 0-0 13, Saxton 4-9 1-2 9, Beal 5-9 0-0 13, Cooke 6-12 3-3 19, Henderson 4-7 1-2 12, Amihere 0-3 4-4 4, Wesolek 0-1 0-0 0, Littleton 2-5 0-0 5, Thompson 0-1 0-0 0, Russell 3-5 1-2 8, Team 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 30-63 10-13 83
IOWA ST. (2-2)—Scott 2-6 0-0 6, Donarski 5-8 3-4 13, Feuerbach 1-5 0-0 2, Ashley Joens 11-22 8-8 32, Ryan 2-7 0-0 4, Kane 0-0 0-0 0, Frederick 0-1 0-0 0, Johnson 0-3 0-0 0, Wise 1-4 2-2 4, Aubrey Joens 1-6 1-2 4, Team 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 23-62 14-16 65
HALFTIME—USC 44-30. 3-Point Goals—South Carolina 13-26 (Boston 1-3, Beal 3-5, Cooke 4-6, Henderson 3-4, Wesolek 0-1, Littleton 1-3, Thompson 0-1, Russell 1-3), Iowa St. 5-27 (Scott 2-6, Feuerbach 0-2, Joens 2-5, Ryan 0-3, Frederick 0-1, Johnson 0-3, Wise 0-1, Joens 1-6). Assists—South Carolina 21 (Henderson 7), Iowa St. 8 (Ryan 4). Fouled Out—South Carolina Amihere. Rebounds—South Carolina 50 (Boston 5-15), Iowa St. 24 (Joens 3-5). Total Fouls—South Carolina 21, Iowa St. 10. Technical Fouls—None. A—864.
This story was originally published December 6, 2020 at 1:49 PM.
