South Carolina sails past ETSU in dominant start to new season
South Carolina’s title defense is officially underway.
The No. 1 USC women’s basketball team unveiled a new national championship banner and then dominated East Tennessee State in its home opener on Monday, winning 101-31 at Colonial Life Arena.
The Gamecocks took quickly control of the game. After the score was tied at five, South Carolina scored 14 unanswered points and never looked back.
Five players finished the game with double-digit scoring for South Carolina.
“I see us formulating great habits in practice, and seeing them in the game,” head coach Dawn Staley said.
The Buccaneers rarely got good looks against the USC defense, as the team forced 21 ETSU turnovers.
South Carolina’s 101 points were more than it scored in any game last year, and the 70-point victory was bigger than any winning margin USC had last season.
The Gamecocks play four road games before returning home to face Hampton on Nov. 27.
GAMECOCKS HEALTHY AT POINT GUARD
Raven Johnson and Kierra Fletcher got minutes for South Carolina, recovering from last season’s injuries.
Johnson redshirted as a freshman after a knee injury two games into the season. She started at point guard Monday for the Gamecocks and played 17 minutes.
She was a McDonald’s All-American coming into USC and finished the game with nine points.
Fletcher transferred in from Georgia Tech, where she started 111 of 113 career games. She came off the bench in the first quarter and finished with three points and three rebounds in nine minutes.
“We need to get them a few more game experiences,” Staley said. “So this was a good tune-up for them.”
VETERANS LEAD THE WAY
Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke starred for USC on Monday night.
Cooke led all scorers with 17 points. She spent more time at the shooting guard position with Johnson and Fletcher back in the rotation.
Boston recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. She recorded 30 double-doubles last year in 37 games.
Boston and Cooke finished first and third on the team last year in points per game, respectively. Both players were named to the first team All-SEC selections in the preseason.
Fifth-year senior Victaria Saxton chipped in 11 points as well, nine coming from the free throw line.
FORMER PLAYERS RETURN
Confetti streamed from the rafters of Colonial Life Arena on Monday as the team unveiled its 2022 national championship banner. Staley and the rest of the Gamecocks also received their championship rings.
Destanni Henderson and LeLe Grissett — members of last year’s national title team — came back for the festivities.
Henderson scored 26 points for the Gamecocks in the title game against UConn. She was drafted into the WNBA at the end of the season and plays for the Indiana Fever.
She was also a first-team All-SEC member in her last year with USC.
Grissett was a graduate student last year and completed her eligibility. She played in 150 games at South Carolina, the most in school history.
Grissett was mostly known for her defense, as she recorded two blocks in the Sweet 16 against North Carolina.
NEXT FOUR USC WBB GAMES
- Friday: at Maryland, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)
- Nov. 17: at Clemson, 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
- Nov. 20: at Stanford, 3 p.m. (ABC)
- Nov. 22: at Cal Poly, 8 p.m. (TV/stream is TBD)
BOX SCORE
ETSU — Davis 0-2 0-0 0, Moore 1-4 0-0 3, Ruffus-Milner 2-4 1-2 5, Thomas 2-20 3-5 7, Thompson 0-5 0-0 0, Boyle 0-2 1-2 1, McCarthy 0-1 0-0 0, McDaniel 2-9 0-0 6, Kirtner 1-5 0-0 3, Vananda 2-5 1-3 6, Totals 10-57 6-12 31
USC — Boston 3-5 5-6 11, Saxton 1-3 9-10 11, Beal 2-5 1-2 6, Cooke 6-12 3-3 17, Johnson 4-10 0-0 9, Amihere 1-2 0-0 2, Watkins 5-7 1-4 11, Cardoso 5-6 1-1 11, Cooper 2-6 0-2 5, Fletcher 1-4 1-2 3, Thompson 0-1 0-0 0, Feagin 7-9 0-0 15, Totals 37-70 21-30 101
Halftime — USC 55-12. 3-Point Goals—ETSU 5-24 (Davis 0-1, Moore 1-2, Thomas 0-1, Thompson 0-2, Boyle 0-2, McDaniel 2-8, Kirtner 1-5, Vananda 1-3), South Carolina 6-23 (Boston 0-1, Saxton 0-1, Beal 1-3, Cooke 2-5, Johnson 1-6, Cooper 1-3, Fletcher 0-2, Thompson 0-1, Feagin 1-1).Assists—ETSU 6 (Thomas 2), South Carolina 20 (Johnson 4). Fouled Out—None.Rebounds—ETSU 27 (Ruffus-Milner 6), South Carolina 56 (Boston 11).Total Fouls—ETSU 22, South Carolina 17. Technical Fouls—None. Attendance—12,779.
This story was originally published November 7, 2022 at 10:29 PM.
