Gamecocks want to prove opponents ‘very wrong’ for not respecting outside shot
It’s been a week since the South Carolina women’s basketball team last took the court as players wrap up final exams. Normally around this time of the year, the Gamecocks would have a few more games under their belts, and the identity of coach Dawn Staley’s team would be starting to take shape.
In this most unusual season, though, USC has played five games and is nearly done with its nonconference schedule. And while core concepts of Staley’s offense and defense remain, we’ve seen some very different performances game to game.
Now, as the Gamecocks prep for their last nonconference opponent (Temple on Thursday) before SEC play begins, it’s worth considering how drastically the Gamecock offense shifted after its loss to N.C. State to focus on ball movement and perimeter play — and win big in its next game vs. Iowa State.
That loss to the Wolfpack snapped the program’s longest-ever win streak (and its run of 12 weeks at No. 1 in the polls). But the following victory was an impressive road victory over the then-No. 23 Cyclones, an 83-65 rout that was more comfortable than the final score suggests.
It was South Carolina’s second ranked win of the season. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, the Gamecocks held on for a tense 79-72 win over Gonzaga. But despite the relatively similar point totals, the manner of those victories could hardly be more different.
Against the Bulldogs, USC attempted just 6.8% of its shots from 3-point territory and assisted on 46.2% of its made baskets. The Gamecocks got 44 points in the paint, 20 in transition. Those numbers weren’t much better against NC State — 15.2% of shots from 3, assists on 45% of baskets, 30 points in the paint and nine in transition.
But against the Cyclones, those percentages jumped to 37.7% of shots from beyond the arc and assists on 70% of made baskets. In the paint, meanwhile, the Gamecocks went for just 18 points, and in transition, only three.
In the Gonzaga game, those numbers were enough to pull out the win, but an over-reliance on individual effort against N.C. State led to Staley airing out some frank criticisms after the game. After taking down Iowa State, she said her squad approached correcting things the right way.
“When we had very little ball movement last game we played (against N.C. State), it was easy to see where we could have gotten better,” Staley said. “And I take my hat off to our players because they didn’t fight it. I think they really understood what needed to happen in order for us to get back to playing our style of play. And I was happy for us because we shared the ball. Everybody put themselves in a great position to score.”
Four Gamecocks scored in double figures against Iowa State, including sophomore forward Aliyah Boston, who hadn’t played quite to her All-American standards early on but racked up a nice 13-point, 15-rebound double-double.
Boston is likely to feast against USC’s next opponent, Temple. The Owls are letting opponents shoot 62.5% from two-point range and rebound at a middling rate, according to Her Hoop Stats.
But performances on the perimeter like the Gamecocks had against Iowa State could be just at important in the long term. Through the first few games of the year, defenses collapsed on Boston and dared South Carolina’s guards to make them pay. That, Staley said, sent a message.
“We have elite players, and they want to play, and they want to perform. They want to show that they work on their games. They take offense to people playing 10 feet off of them, just like last year, they did it to (guard Tyasha Harris); Ty experienced that,” Staley said. “So they want to prove that the defender is very wrong. And it shakes your confidence a little bit, so I think you got a little bit of players wanting to prove that they can shoot.”
And the coaching staff doesn’t want to discourage their players from taking those longer shots. Staley talks about taking good shots “in rhythm” so the team’s rebounders are ready and in position, but without an outside threat that opponents have to honor, the offense risks becoming one-dimensional.
“Our players are processing ... is that a good shot, is that a bad shot? And that’s a valid question and those are questions which I love and embrace and encourage, because that’s an appetite for learning,” Staley said. “And that’s what we’re here for, is to teach them how to actually not just play the game (but) to master the game.”
NEXT USC BASKETBALL GAME
Who: No. 5 South Carolina (4-1) vs. Temple (0-2)
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Colonial Life Arena
TV: SEC Network
