Against LSU, South Carolina’s Bree Hall makes it happen when it matters most
Three minutes remained in the fourth quarter. South Carolina and LSU were tied at 67. Bree Hall had shot 2-of-8 from the field (0-of-2 from 3) after averaging about 60% shooting over USC’s previous 12 games.
With 2:54 left on the clock, Hall pulled up for a 3-pointer.
Swish.
The Gamecocks led 70-67.
With 1:11 remaining, Hall pulled up again beyond the arc.
Swish.
The Gamecocks led 73-70.
“It’s a practice shot,” coach Dawn Staley said of Hall’s clutch makes. “It’s what she does every single day that we’re out on the court. (She) puts in extra and didn’t hesitate.”
A layup and free throw by Raven Johnson in the final minute put the game out of reach. South Carolina defeated LSU 76-70 Thursday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center to remain a perfect 17-0. The victory was a team effort, yes, but Hall made it happen when it mattered most.
“It was awesome,” Hall said. “I was just so excited, honestly. I just wanted to win. That’s all I was thinking about. I was trying to figure out any way we could get the win.”
Hall’s best friend and former teammate Aliyah Boston has worked from afar all season to coach Hall up on how to be a leader. But instead of sending Hall a motivational Bible verse like she’s done before as an analyst for Big 10 games, Boston sat right behind the Gamecocks bench for the LSU game. She gave Hall a nugget of indispensable advice during a fourth-quarter timeout.
“I just told her to stay confident,” Boston said. “I told her to read the floor, slow down, take a breath. She’s going to be able to do what she wants to do with patience, and she did that. I think she did a great job. She hit some big shots for us, and I told her don’t let that affect your defense. And she had a big blocks, a big rebound, she was good.”
Boston leaned in and declared with enthusiasm: “Breezy is that girl.”
Building up such mental fortitude has been a journey for Hall, affectionately known as Breezy. She was plagued by self-doubt, unable to shake the feeling that she wasn’t an asset to her team. But a conversation with Staley before USC’s trip to North Carolina in November “flipped the script” in her head.
She sank a game-cementing 3-pointer in the final minutes of that come-from-behind victory, too. Thursday night didn’t feature another 15-point performance like the one she had in Chapel Hill, but Hall did score in double digits for the ninth time this season. She has quickly become an offensive force for the Gamecocks.
Her parents’ flight from Dayton, Ohio was delayed a handful of times, so they were unable to attend Thursday’s game in person. They watched their daughter from home, full of pride. It’s been a joy for them to see her play with such confidence.
It’s been a joy for Gamecocks fans, too, who owe much of their team’s undefeated record to her late-game heroics.
