Mighty impressive: No. 1 South Carolina WBB handles No. 11 UConn in rivalry showdown
South Carolina played its third game in front of a sold-out crowd Sunday for the first time in program history. But no other home crowd of the 2023-24 campaign compared to this one, charged with all the passion and energy a rivalry game should have.
And thus, the USC faithful were rewarded with a statement win.
No. 1 South Carolina defeated No. 11 UConn 83-65 in front of a sold-out crowd at Colonial Life Arena Sunday. The win extended USC’s program-record win streak to 54 games and tied the Gamecocks’ largest margin in five all-time victories over coach Geno Auriemma’s UConn teams.
“They are much different team than some of the previous teams obviously that we played down here,” Auriemma said postagme. “And their style of play is different, not just their depth is different, but their style of play is different. They’re able to keep the pressure on because they can bring more bodies off the bench, but they have the ability to put pressure on you from the perimeter as well as inside — way more so than any other time that I remember.”
The Gamecocks (23-0) started guards Te-Hina Paopao, Bree Hall, Raven Johnson and forwards Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins. USC came into the game having nine available players, with Kamilla Cardoso (Olympic Qualifying Tournament) and Sahnya Jah (out indefinitely due to “conduct detrimental to the team”) missing their second straight games. Four Gamecocks finished with double-digit points: Paopao (21), Watkins (15), Kitts (14), and Johnson (10).
Here are three takeaways from the rivalry game:
Paopao gets her groove back
Heading into Sunday’s game, Paopao led the Gamecocks and ranked second in the nation in 3-point percentage (48.5%). But five of her previous six games had marked tough outside shooting days for her, averaging 29.4% from 3 in that six-game stretch.
The first half versus UConn marked a stark improvement. She sank four 3s, tying her season high last achieved at Florida to open SEC play.
Paopao finished with 21 points (a season high, including five 3s), three rebounds, two assists, three turnovers and a steal.
“’We gotta get going, Pao,’” head coach Dawn Staley said she told her senior guard over the course of her shooting slump. “But she knows. She’s very aware of what she means our basketball team. She’s aware of her play. But even through the shooting woes, we wanted her to continue to shoot. You gotta stay in rhythm. When you take good shots, they’ll find their way into the basket.”
Ashlyn Watkins dominates both ends of the floor
Watkins continued her streak of filling up the stat sheet Sunday in her fourth consecutive start. By halftime against the Huskies, Watkins had recorded a stat in every major category, including a violent chase-down block that would put LeBron James to shame.
She entered the tunnel at the break with 8 points (on 4-of-6 shooting), six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal.
Watkins had to spend some time on the bench during the third quarter after picking up her third foul but started the fourth quarter. She finished with 15 points (marking her 12th double-digit scoring game of the season), nine rebounds, three assists, one turnover, three blocks and two steals.
“Ashlyn is impressive,” Staley said. “Like, super impressive. I think with her having more responsibility, she’s thriving in it on both sides of the floor. I can hear her talk and quarterback our defense. She’s pushing Breezy (Hall) out because Breezy’s stuck on the screen. It’s beautiful. It really is.”
Raven Johnson makes a difference
Last year’s game versus UConn on its court marked Johnson’s breakout game, scoring a season-high 14 points on the Huskies. She made a big difference in the most recent edition of the rivalry.
In addition to her first career double-double with 10 points and career-high 12 rebounds, her steals and assists made a huge impact. Johnson also committed just two turnovers. At her press conference previewing the UConn game, Staley praised Johnson’s speed and energy running the point. It proved to be a big asset against the Huskies, who just couldn’t keep up.
“I thought that our transition defense kind of fell apart for long stretches,” Auriemma said. “And they took advantage of every mistake that we made. ... If you’re going to win a game like this, you either have to have more players with better talent, or you’re gonna have to play a much smarter game and get some help from the other team. And we did not play a very smart game in the first half. And we certainly didn’t get any help from them.”
Next four South Carolina women’s basketball games
- Thursday: at Tennessee, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
- Feb. 18: vs. Georgia, 1 p.m. (ABC)
- Feb. 22: vs. Alabama, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Feb. 25: vs. Kentucky, 3 p.m. (SEC Network)
This story was originally published February 11, 2024 at 3:55 PM.
