Rivalry rout: No. 1 South Carolina WBB drops the hammer on Clemson
One day after defeating Clemson on the recruiting trail, landing No. 2 Class of 2024 recruit Joyce Edwards from Camden, South Carolina went and obliterated its rival on the basketball court.
The No. 1 Gamecocks routed the Clemson Tigers 109-40 Thursday night for coach Dawn Staley’s 200th in 234 tries at Colonial Life Arena. The win also marked 43 straight home victories (two shy of a program record set between 2013 and 2016) and 13 straight wins over Clemson. It also solidified three-straight 100-point games for the first time in program history.
“We could not have envisioned this is how we’d be playing back in June,” Staley said. “Could not.”
The Gamecocks used the same starting lineup as their first two games: Raven Johnson, Te-Hina Paopao, Bree Hall, Chloe Kitts and Kamilla Cardoso. By about halfway through the second quarter, all 10 available USC players had checked into the game. Freshman guard Tessa Johnson was sidelined with a lower leg injury, wearing a boot on her right foot and walking around with crutches during warmups.
South Carolina (3-0) will stay home to play South Dakota State at 7 p.m. Monday.
More high-octane offense
After scoring 100 against Notre Dame in the opener and 114 on Maryland Thursday, South Carolina had 109 versus its first unranked opponent of the season.
USC shot 40% from 3-point range Thursday and 53% from the field.
Three Gamecocks reached double-digit points in the first half: Paopao (14), Cardoso (12) and MiLaysia Fulwiley (10). Raven Johnson was the only USC player to not score in the first two quarters, but she facilitated dozens of points by dishing out 12 assists.
By the end of the game, six Gamecocks scored in double figures: Fulwiley, Paopao, Cardoso, Kitts, Watkins and Sakima Walker. Cardoso had a double-double with 13 rebounds, as did Watkins with 10 boards.
Fulwiley was denied a shot at a double-double, fouling out with 28.8 seconds left in the third quarter at 18 points and nine rebounds. She’s scored 47 points through her first three games, surpassing the marks from Gamecock greats Aliyah Boston (37), A’ja Wilson (37) and Tiffany Mitchell (32).
Before leaving, though, Fulwiley gave the crowd flashbacks to a moment from Paris with a fake behind-the-back layup in the first quarter. The South Carolina faithful cheered for its hometown hero. Sania Feagin tucked in her jersey with one hand and dabbed Fulwiley up with the other upon checking into the game.
“She’s got great intuition for the game,” Staley said of Fulwiley’s flashy play. “Some of it’s scary to me because it doesn’t always end with someone actually catching her passes. But that’s what we’ve seen her do, and we’re not gonna slow her down. We hopefully just teach her time and place.”
Rebounds, steals and blocks — oh my
South Carolina eclipsed 50 rebounds with minutes left in the third quarter (over 30 on the defensive end), finishing the game with 73 total (and 48 on defense). USC also snagged 11 steals.
The Gamecocks blocked nine, four of which came from sophomore forward Ashlyn Watkins. She dealt a block so deadly in the first half that the Clemson shooter barely got her feet off the ground and the ball never actually left her hand by the time Watkins had palmed the basketball.
“I thought our ball-screen defense was a lot better today,” Staley said. “We’ve been working on that. And people getting opportunities to play. We can certainly teach them playing in actual games rather than practice.”
The dynamic backcourt of Paopao and Johnson
Paopao was one of the most efficient Gamecocks on the floor Thursday.
South Carolina was plus-53 with her on the floor. She made five shots in a row — four from 3 — before missing her first basket of the day in the second quarter. And even then, she missed a midrange floater, snagged her own rebound and fell short of laying it back up. She played 19 minutes Thursday and ended with 14 points on 62.5% shooting.
Johnson didn’t score until about six minutes into the third quarter, but the Gamecocks were still plus-58 with her on the court. She played with energy and a mind for getting her teammates the basketball, setting a personal best and program record against a Power 5 opponent with 17 assists (the previous record as 14 by Ty Harris).
“Raven, if I’m on the floor with her, I’m running because she’s gonna find you in stride,” Staley said.
Next four South Carolina WBB games
- Nov. 20: vs. South Dakota State, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Nov. 24: vs. Mississippi Valley State, 1 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Nov. 30: at UNC, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
- Dec. 3: at Duke, 1 p.m. (ABC)
This story was originally published November 16, 2023 at 8:50 PM.
