No. 1 South Carolina WBB holds off determined Duke team to complete ACC sweep
After a rough first half against Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the No. 1 Gamecocks came out in the third quarter and had three consecutive possessions of:
▪ Chloe Kitts jumper (punctuated with a kiss blown Jadyn Donovan’s way — the Duke player who received a technical foul for taunting Kitts at the end of the second quarter).
▪ Bree Hall triple.
▪ Te-Hina Paopao triple.
Then a timeout by Duke.
The crowd (which felt like a 60-40 Duke-South Carolina split) began a call-and-response chant: “Game!” “Cocks!”
While South Carolina led by six at halftime, it felt like anybody’s game until Kamilla Cardoso got fouled on a tough layup with 3:51 remaining in the game. During the timeout 50 seconds later, Gamecock fans in attendance began to cheer “USC!”
South Carolina went on to defeat Duke 77-61. The Gamecocks closed out their Tobacco Road trip with an encouraging level of poise against the Blue Devils after a tough first half and overall night Thursday against No. 24 North Carolina.
“We were just really antsy,” Paopao said of her team’s shaky first half. “I think a lot of us had tunnel vision, you know? We had one way or no way. We just had to share the ball, slow down a little. We were just getting ahead of ourselves.
“We just had to slow down, take a breath and let the game come to us.”
South Carolina (7-0) employed its typical starting five: Paopao, Hall, Kitts, Cardoso and Raven Johnson. Five Gamecocks scored in double digits: Cardoso (15), Kitts (a career-high 14), Paopao (12), Hall (13) and Johnson (11).
South Carolina’s next game will be back home versus Morgan State on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Second half success
The Gamecocks’ first half against the Blue Devils felt much like the first half against the Tar Heels on Thursday.
Sloppy passes inside. An uncharacteristic number of turnovers. A small but intimidating home crowd.
But at the start of the second half, it seemed like the Gamecocks returned to their usual script, playing tougher and cleaner basketball.
They opened the third quarter on a 12-0 run to go up 15. But they allowed the Blue Devils charge back within three by the period’s end.
But South Carolina experienced a drought at the end of the third quarter that bled into the fourth, missing eight shots in a row. A crafty layup by MiLaysia Fulwiley at the 6:47 mark brought a merciful end to the slump. South Carolina went on a 10-0 run a couple minutes later to clinch the game.
“We stopped turning the ball over, and we stopped taking bad shots,” Staley said of the shift. “Those were the two things that allowed them to get back in the game.
“We know what it is. And when you have a team that can actually see it and make the adjustments, that’s when you’re saying something. Because this is a game of runs.”
Turnovers on turnovers on turnovers
Turnovers ailed the Gamecocks in both their ACC games this week.
They had 13 against UNC and 14 in the first half against Duke. South Carolina shot 52.2% from the field, but only led by six at the break because of its inability to get shots off.
The Gamecocks ended the game having given away 20 possessions.
Post struggles
The Gamecocks, who have been a force in the post for years, struggled to get much going in the paint Sunday.
Part of that was due to errant passes inside. But part of it was due to Duke’s aggressive defense.
South Carolina entered Sunday first in the nation with 69 blocks on the season and 11.5 per game. Duke ranked third in the nation with 53 blocks (7.6 per game). After four quarters, South Carolina had three blocks to Duke’s eight.
Next four South Carolina WBB games
- Dec. 6: vs. Morgan State, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Dec. 10: vs. Utah (in Connecticut), 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)
- Dec. 16: vs. Presbyterian, 1 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Dec. 19: at Bowling Green, 7 p.m. (ESPN Plus)
This story was originally published December 3, 2023 at 2:54 PM.
