Hot start powers No. 1 South Carolina past No. 17 Georgia in Athens. What we learned
No. 1 South Carolina women’s basketball used an electric first half in this season’s 10th victory over a ranked opponent, defeating No. 17 Georgia 72-54 in Stegeman Coliseum on Sunday.
The Gamecocks (23-1, 11-1 SEC) were once again led to victory by National Player of the Year candidate Aliyah Boston, who counted her 17th consecutive double-double. Boston finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
Georgia (17-7, 6-6 SEC) was led offensively by veterans Jenna Staiti (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Que Morrison (11 points). The Bulldogs outscored South Carolina 27-23 in the second half but couldn’t overcome the Gamecocks’ offensive dominance from the first 20 minutes.
“It’s cool when you can come on the road, shoot the ball well, build the lead and just basically try to continue to increase or hold onto it,” head coach Dawn Staley said. “We knew Georgia would have a run in them like they did, and they got into the lead, but (I’m) really proud of our players for sustaining, holding on and playing the way we needed to play — disciplined basketball.”
Here’s what we learned about the Gamecocks.
First-half offensive showcase powers Gamecocks
The Gamecocks hit the gas to a 30-point lead with 6:17 left in the second quarter Sunday. A 63% (19 of 30) clip from the field in the first half helped USC take a 26-point lead into halftime.
South Carolina’s first-half offensive barrage was a collective effort. All nine players who saw the floor in the first two quarters scored, led by double-digit efforts from Boston and Destanni Henderson, who scored 10 each in the half. Zia Cooke added eight points in the first half, going 3 of 5 from the field.
The offensive dominance was catalyzed by strong play on the defensive end early, Staley said. South Carolina’s ability to contest Georgia shots and get the Bulldogs in turnover trouble early helped start up the USC offense.
“It’s a product of hitting shots,” Staley said. “Coupled with what we do on the defensive side of the ball, we can get out to a pretty big lead, but that doesn’t always happen every time that we play.”
Staiti got into early foul trouble for the Bulldogs, leaving space for South Carolina to dominate in the paint. The Gamecocks scored 22 of their 51 first-half points in the paint.
South Carolina capitalizes on Bulldog turnovers
Georgia committed 14 turnovers in the first half, which USC capitalized upon for 25 points. The Gamecocks had ball security issues in its last game at Kentucky, turning it over 17 times in Lexington. They were able to improve in that area in Athens.
South Carolina committed 13 turnovers to Georgia’s 19, which included eight USC steals. South Carolina finished the game scoring 32 points off Bulldog miscues.
“You just can’t make the mistakes that we made to start the game,” Georgia head coach Joni Taylor said. “We turned it over at a high level. ... I think for them, that’s how they want to score. They want to run in transition off of turnovers.”
USC bench continues to develop in SEC road play
Without its two top reserves Laeticia Amihere and Kamilla Cardoso for the past two games — they’re with their respective national teams — USC has gotten more minutes out of its younger bench players in SEC road action.
Staley had been giving more minutes to South Carolina’s bench players through the past five SEC games, using the two-game road stretch against Kentucky and Georgia to give them tastes of conference play.
USC’s three available freshmen combined for 12 points at Georgia. Sania Feagin scored five, a conference-play best, while Bree Hall and Saniya Rivers added five and two, respectively.
Next South Carolina women’s basketball game
Who: No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks (23-1, 11-1 SEC) vs. Auburn Tigers (9-13, 1-10 SEC)
When: Thursday at 7 p.m.
Where: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C.
Watch: SEC Network
This story was originally published February 13, 2022 at 1:48 PM.
