No. 1 South Carolina routs Kentucky by 62 points to remain WBB’s only undefeated team
Just hours after fielding a visit from Vice President Kamala Harris, who congratulated the South Carolina women’s basketball team on a stellar season, No. 1 USC extended its perfect record to 16-0 (4-0 SEC) with a 98-36 win over Kentucky on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The Monday night contest at Colonial Life Arena allowed for a large garnet-clad crowd. With its 50th-straight home win, South Carolina remains the only undefeated team in women’s college basketball.
The Gamecocks employed their usual starting lineup: guards Te-Hina Paopao, Raven Johnson and Bree Hall along with forward Chloe Kitts and center Kamilla Cardoso. Six South Carolina players ended the game with double-digit points: Cardoso (12), Paopao (14), Johnson (11), Ashlyn Watkins (10), Tessa Johnson (11) and MiLaysia Fulwiley (14).
“They are connected,” coach Dawn Staley said. “They have great chemistry. ... They have a really good understanding of what needs to happen out there on the floor.”
USC has a five-day break before its next game against Texas A&M in College Station at 5 p.m. Sunday (Eastern time).
Ashlyn Watkins’ dunk
Watkins earned a standing ovation from the home crowd with a dunk in the first quarter Monday night.
She stole the ball with wide open court in front of her, loaded up and slammed the ball in the hoop before The Cockpit student section. It was the second dunk of the sophomore’s career after she recorded the first slam in program history her freshman year at Clemson.
“I got this steal, and I was like, ‘Why not try it?’ ” Watkins said.
“It meant a lot to me, especially doing it here in Columbia,” she later added. “I’m from Columbia, so just doing it for the FAMs and doing it for my family and my friends — everybody that came to support me at this game.”
Before Watkins, the last SEC players to dunk in a game were Tennessee’s Parker and LSU’s Sylvia Fowles, who each played college ball from 2004-08. Fowles recorded one dunk in her collegiate career, while Parker had two. Michelle Snow of Tennessee dunked three times between 1998-02.
Kamilla Cardoso playing tough
After South Carolina’s victory over Mississippi State last week, Staley lauded Cardoso’s aggressive style of play. While the center didn’t necessarily record as many points as she usually does, she attacked the basket. Cardoso had another physical showing Monday night.
She recorded eight points, 11 rebounds and five blocks in the first half alone. One of the highlights was a hook shot in the first quarter, where Cardoso dribbled once, bumped the player on her left and flipped the ball in the hoop. In the third quarter, she stepped and sliced through two Kentucky defenders for two points.
Cardoso ended the game with 12 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks and three assists.
Shooting lights out and sharing the basketball
Freshmen Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson made each of their first three 3-pointers, sinking all six of the Gamecocks’ first-half triples. Paopao had two 3s of her own, while Hall and Raven Johnson made one each. As a team, South Carolina made 10 of its 3-pointers and shot 58.8% from long range and the field.
The Gamecocks finished just shy of tying their season record in made triples and 3-point shooting percentage (12 3s versus Maryland and 60% 3-point shooting versus Duke).
Raven Johnson led the team with six assists and no turnovers. As a team, South Carolina recorded 22 assists.
Next four South Carolina women’s basketball games
- Sunday: at Texas A&M, 5 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Jan. 25: at LSU, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
- Jan. 28: vs. Vanderbilt, 3 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Feb. 1: at Auburn, 8 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
This story was originally published January 15, 2024 at 8:46 PM.
