Gamecocks pull away late against Missouri to bounce back from UConn loss
Coming off a bruising overtime battle with No. 2 UConn that ended in defeat, South Carolina women’s basketball still had all of its goals in front of it, coach Dawn Staley said. The Gamecocks just needed to get better on offense.
It took them a little while to get going Thursday night against Missouri, but a surge in the third quarter proved enough to make the difference in a 77-62 victory.
Junior guard Destanni Henderson, coming off a career-high eight turnovers against Connecticut, got back on track with 11 points, three assists and just one giveaway. And with 4:44 left in the third quarter, she sank a jumper from just off the lane to kick-start a pivotal 11-2 run — she followed it up with another jump shot, then a 3-pointer to lead the team with seven points in the third quarter.
“It was our first game back from the UConn game, so just really trying to find our groove. And sometimes it just takes a little bit longer once we realize, ‘OK, this is what we’re doing wrong, this is how we can get better,’” Henderson said. “So the second half was a really good start for us to finish the game off strong.”
Prior to that, Carolina had struggled to create separation from Missouri, twice letting five-point leads get erased. It wasn’t helped by a cold start in which the Gamecocks shot a meager 4-of-15 in the first quarter and let the Tigers hit 60% of their shots to take a 20-16 lead after one quarter.
But with increased defensive intensity, those percentages flipped — South Carolina shot 59.3% in the second half, while Missouri hit just 27.3% of its shots.
“I thought we got them to play a little bit quicker,” Staley said. “I thought we were switching out pretty good in the late third, into the fourth quarter. I thought our defense was at a place where it bothered them. They did score some. But ... it wasn’t the clean looks that they got in the first and second quarter.”
Foul trouble on Mizzou’s part, meanwhile, kept sending South Carolina to the free throw line, and the Gamecocks took advantage. In particular, USC’s bigs, sophomore Aliyah Boston and junior Victaria Saxton, consistently drew contact. Both finished in double figures, and Boston had her ninth double-double of the year with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
“We knew we were going to have our hands full,” Missouri coach Robin Pingeton said. “Boston’s really good, Saxton’s really good down on the low block, and really strong, athletic kids. So we had our hands full from a size disadvantage.”
3 OBSERVATIONS
1. LeLe from deep
Senior guard LeLe Grissett hit the first 3-pointer of her four-year career to give USC the lead with 3:42 left in the first half. She had only even attempted three 3s before that shot.
“Y’all better watch out. Ain’t coming to play no more,” Grissett said with a laugh afterward. “I have the freedom (to take that shot). But I’m normally a pass-first player. But why not? They were sagging. Gotta put some respect on our name.”
That 3-pointer was part of a seven-point burst for her in the second quarter to lead the team and ensure a tie ballgame at the break. She finished the contest with nine points, two assists, two blocks and a steal.
2. Return to CLA
Missouri redshirt junior LaDazhia Williams kicked off the scoring Thursday, sinking a jumper for her first points in Colonial Life Arena since transferring from South Carolina following the 2018-19 season. She entered the contest as the Tigers’ leading scorer with 14.5 points per game.
Going up against Aliyah Boston, though, Williams dealt with foul trouble much of the night and was limited to just 20 minutes. She was one of four Missouri players to have three or more fouls.
3. Nostalgia trip
A parade of former Gamecock stars made appearances during the pregame lineup intros, with A’ja Wilson, Tiffany Mitchell, Alaina Coates, Tyasha Harris, Khadijah Sessions, La’Keisha Sutton and Tina Roy all filming clips introducing the starters and coaches that showed on the videoboard.
NEXT USC BASKETBALL GAME
Who: No. 1 South Carolina (16-2, 11-0 SEC) vs. LSU (8-9, 6-5 SEC)
When: Noon, Sunday, Feb. 14
Where: Colonial Life Arena
Watch: SEC Network
This story was originally published February 11, 2021 at 8:49 PM.
