Gamecocks improve to 10-0 with hard-fought win at South Dakota State. What we learned
No. 1 South Carolina found itself in a defensive battle Thursday in before the Gamecocks (10-0) pulled away to earn a 62-44 victory over South Dakota State (7-5) in Sioux Falls.
Both teams struggled mightily in the first quarter.
South Carolina scored just 11 points in the first 10 minutes and shot 4 of 15 from the field. Head coach Dawn Staley spoke about the Jackrabbits’ defensive prowess Wednesday, and they were disruptive early on.
South Dakota State didn’t look much better on offense, though, scoring just 20 points at the half.
The Gamecocks shot out to a 15-point lead in the third quarter and seemed to be pulling away, but the Jackrabbits fought back again, cutting their deficit to just nine to start the fourth, and Myah Selland cut the lead to eight with a corner 3-pointer with 7:26 left. The team eventually cut the lead to six points after a pair of free throws capped a 7-0 run.
South Carolina got a big sequence late in the fourth. Graduate guard Kierra Fletcher knocked down a mid-range shot and then senior guard Brea Beal got a steal on South Dakota State’s inbound pass and finished a layup.
Zia Cooke knocked down a 3-pointer to grow the lead back to 13, and the team didn’t look back from there.
“This is a gut check win for us,” Staley said.
The Gamecocks return home for two more home games before SEC play starts. USC will play Charleston Southern on Sunday at 2 p.m.
BEAL STAYING BUSY
Brea Beal was all over the court against the Jackrabbits.
The senior’s final stat line included nine points, six steals, five blocks and three assists. Her presence was felt throughout the game as she stifled players on the opposing offense.
“I don’t remember a game I’ve had like this,” Beal said. “When it comes to close games like that, it kind of just comes naturally.”
Beal is known for her defensive abilities, but offered some offensive production for the Gamecocks, as well. She made the team’s first 3-point shot of the game in the first half and also found her teammates for easy looks.
The six steals and five blocks she ended with were both career-highs. Beal currently leads South Carolina in both categories.
“I really don’t think there is another player in the country that can do what she does,” Staley said. “She’s an elite defender. She’s patient. She lets the stars be the star, and ends up being the star.”
GAMECOCKS CONTINUE SECOND-HALF TREND
The Gamecocks picked up their offense in the second half after scoring just 29 points in the first.
The team got up by as many as 15-points in the third quarter before seeing the lead shrink down to nine. Once the Jackrabbits cut the lead to six in the fourth, the Gamecocks quickly got the lead back to double-digits.
USC continued to grow its lead with some late offense from Cooke, who scored nine of her game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter.
South Carolina’s pulled away from teams in the second half of games plenty of times in the young season.
Its wins against Maryland and UCLA came mostly from scoring spurts in the third and fourth quarters. The overtime win against Stanford came after the Gamecocks erased a 10-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter.
“They don’t flinch,” Staley said of her players. “They welcome different challenges to see where they are and how they can grow and how we can win in different ways.”
CARDOSO CONTINUES PRODUCTION
Junior forward Kamilla Cardoso tallied 15 rebounds and four blocks for South Carolina.
Cardoso has excelled on both ends of the floor this season so far for USC, and Staley has had conversations with her about how to leave her imprint on games.
South Carolina has used her size for most of the season, especially when she shares the court with 6-foot-5 Aliyah Boston.
“When she’s dominant, she’s unstoppable and it makes the game so much easier,” Beal said. “For her to be dominant in these games, it makes it easier for us as a team.”
Next four South Carolina WBB games
▪ Dec. 18: home vs. Charleston Southern, 2 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
▪ Dec 21: home vs. Coastal Carolina, noon (SEC Network Plus)
▪ Dec. 29: home vs. Texas A&M, 7 p.m. (SEC Network or ESPN2)
▪ Jan. 2: at Georgia, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
This story was originally published December 15, 2022 at 8:57 PM.
