Fulwiley, Cardoso and more shine in USC WBB exhibition rout of Rutgers, 100-55
South Carolina routed Rutgers 100-55 in a preseason exhibition Sunday at Colonial Life Arena.
The Gamecocks never trailed in their first contest since the Final Four in March.
“I thought it was a good showing,” coach Dawn Staley said. “I thought we got out to a quick start, which is good. And I think there was some some really great individual play. And I also thought that there’s things that we need to work on. But it was actually good to get them playing someone different and doing it in public, so the next time that we’re in this building it can transition a lot better knowing that they’ve experienced playing in Colonial Life Arena.”
All 11 women played against the Scarlet Knights. Bree Hall, Te-Hina Paopao, Raven Johnson and MiLaysia Fulwiley spent the most time on the court, each logging more than 20 minutes.
Kamilla Cardoso (17) and Fulwiley (16) led the team in scoring. Hall and Chloe Kitts each scored 10 points.
The Gamecocks open their regular season Nov. 6 in Paris against Notre Dame in Halle Georges Carpentier Arena.
MiLaysia Fulwiley’s debut
All of South Carolina’s five new faces played against Rutgers. But none impressed as much as local five-star signee Fulwiley.
Staley has referred to the Keenan High School grad as a “generational” talent on several occasions. The pink and garnet crowd at Colonial Life Arena could hardly contain itself whenever Fulwiley made a play Sunday. Even before she took her first shot — a 3-pointer on the left side of the court — fans rumbled with anticipation. When Fulwiley sank the shot, the crowd erupted.
She had long shots (including a buzzer-beater to end the first half), fastbreak points and sneaky assists.
Fulwiley shot 4 of 9 from three and recorded explosive, energizing plays all over the court. In the second quarter she snagged a steal from the Scarlet Knights and ran downhill for a layup, to which the hometown crowd rejoiced.
“It didn’t feel real at first,” Fulwiley said. “When I first got in the game and I made my first three, I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ The crowd went crazy. It was just an exciting moment for me. And I know it’s an exciting moment for my family. So I’m just blessed and just living play-by-play, day-by-day.”
Paopao-Johnson backcourt
Staley told reporters at SEC Media Day on Thursday that Raven Johnson and Te-Hina Paopao will undoubtedly be South Carolina’s lead guards this season. And they did not disappoint in their Columbia debut.
When in the game at the same time, Johnson ran point. But both were extremely vocal from one end of the court to the other. Johnson scored 7 and made a big impact as a facilitator with nine assists (which would be a career-high if the game counted).
Paopao, who’s been touted as a reliable perimeter shooter, sank a few 3s. Defense was a major point for her this summer, Paopao said, adding that Staley told her the way to play was by boxing out. She made that happen Sunday, grabbing four defensive rebounds.
Cardoso shines
Cardoso also lived up to her preseason billing.
Even working as a scarlet magnet in the paint, drawing multiple Rutgers defenders in whenever she touched the ball, Cardoso managed 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting, five rebounds and four assists.
Staley previously said Cardoso flipped an internal switch over the summer. She now has a desire to dominate. That showed Sunday.
One thing Staley wants Cardoso to improve on, though, is her midrange shot – something that’s served former Gamecocks A’ja Wilson and Aliyah Boston well in their careers.
“She’s there. She’s wide open,” Staley said. “She’s got a pretty looking shot. We got to get her to have a really good understanding it’s going to help us right now and her right now and then moving to the next level.”
This story was originally published October 22, 2023 at 2:54 PM.
