No. 1 South Carolina WBB makes SEC history in home win over Georgia
After trailing 35-28 at halftime, No. 1 South Carolina defeated Georgia 70-56 Sunday afternoon in front of the fourth sold-out crowd at Colonial Life Arena this season. It marked the Gamecocks’ 43rd straight SEC regular season win, setting a new conference record previously held by Tennessee.
“There are just simple things to fix what was going on,” Staley said. “We turned the ball over, couldn’t get any stops. We need to do a better job sharing the basketball. The ball gets stuck. I think we take bad shots, rushed shots, and we’re in the process of relearning (to) just take the best shot on the floor versus taking contested shots. And then we’re right in the middle of making that decision. And it really is complicating our offense.”
USC started its usual first five: Te-Hina Paopao, Raven Johnson, Bree Hall, Chloe Kitts and Kamilla Cardoso. Three Gamecocks scored in double digits: Cardoso (16), Paopao (15) and Kitts (12).
South Carolina (25-0, 12-0 SEC) hosts Alabama at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Powered down, then back up in the paint
After struggling to get its inside game going Thursday at Tennessee, USC let Georgia overpower it in the paint Sunday.
The Gamecocks, who outscored opponents by 25.5 points per game heading into Sunday’s contest, were dominated early by the Bulldogs in that statistic. UGA outscored USC 22-8 in the first half. South Carolina also lost the first-half rebound battle 17-14. The Gamecocks also made 4-of-8 layup attempts through the first two quarters.
USC bounced back in the second half, outscoring UGA in the paint 32-28 by the end of the game as Cardoso and Kitts muscled their way to double-digit points (and Cardoso to double-digit rebounds with 16).
Turnover woes strike again
Errant passes plagued the Gamecocks early Sunday. They committed 10 turnovers in the first half, with five coming in the final 6:47 of the second quarter. Some passes were dealt with too much power to where they flew past their intended targets or bounced off a player’s hands. Others looked intended for players in red and black jerseys as opposed to white and garnet ones.
USC ended the game having relinquished 18 possessions.
Chloe Kitts bounces back, Te-Hina Paopao lights it up
In a game where South Carolina looked discombobulated on both ends of the floor, Kitts was a bright spot.
She played with tenacity and intention. The sophomore forward muscled her way to the basket, backing down UGA defenders for tough layups. She was the first Gamecock to reach double-digit scoring.
Kitts made her presence known in the paint, serving as a reliable option for guards Johnson and MiLaysia Fulwiley to feed. The starting forward finished with 12 points (5-of-10 from the field), seven rebounds, two assists, three turnovers and a steal.
Paopao made five 3s, tying her season and Gamecock career high. Every bucket the senior guard made came from the perimeter.
Next four South Carolina women’s basketball games
- Thursday: vs. Alabama, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Feb. 25: at Kentucky, 3 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Feb. 29: at Arkansas, 9 p.m. (SEC Network)
- March 3: vs. Tennessee, noon (ESPN)
This story was originally published February 18, 2024 at 2:59 PM.
