How MiLaysia Fulwiley is on a ‘steady climb’ in recent games for South Carolina WBB
MiLaysia Fulwiley played a complete game Sunday in South Carolina’s 101-60 dismantling of then-No. 13 Oklahoma.
The sophomore is known for providing a boost off the bench for the No. 2 Gamecocks (18-1, 6-0 SEC), but her performance against the Sooners included an emerging trend. Fulwiley made her share of highlight-worthy plays while also her improving her defensive game and other aspects of her play.
Fulwiley finished second in scoring with 15 points against Oklahoma. She was 5 for 15 from the floor and 4 for 4 from the free throw line in the game. Her lone 3-pointer was a deep buzzer-beater at the end of the first quarter.
“What I was thinking about is, (the defender’s) backing up, so I might as well shoot,” Fulwiley said of the buzzer-beater. “I can’t get taken out the game because it’s a buzzer-beater.”
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said after the game that she’s seen steady improvements from Fulwiley this season — specifically since early in SEC play.
“It’s been a steady climb, since probably our Mississippi State game, it’s been a climb for (MiLaysia),” Staley said. “It doesn’t mean that she’s not going to go back to a different place. That’s part of the process. It hasn’t happened in a couple of games — and that’s growth. I’m proud of her because I asked her to be a little bit more disciplined while giving her the freedom to do whatever she needs to do.”
Sunday’s game marked the fourth time Fulwiley has hit double-digits in the scoring column in South Carolina’s six SEC games. She came out of non-conference play averaging 10 points per game and is currently averaging 13.6 points during SEC play. That brings her season total to 11.2 points per game, which is second-highest on the team.
Fulwiley’s impact on the box score against Oklahoma went beyond points scored. She spread the wealth on offense for the Gamecocks and set a career high with seven assists.
The guard filled up the stat sheet on defense as well. Fulwiley brought in four rebounds, one steal and tied a season-high with two blocks. Fulwiley said she’s felt motivated to perform well on defense lately.
“It always makes me feel good when I play on both sides of the floor,” Fulwiley said. “It motivates me to want to do a little bit more. And today was one of those days. I felt like I had more in my tank and I honestly didn’t think I played as good as I could have. But, it just motivates me to want to do better.
“And I love defense. I’m starting to find my love for defense and I’m excited to see how far I go.”
As Fulwiley continues to grow and mature on the court comes the question of her getting more minutes.
All 357 of Fulwiley’s minutes (18 per game) have come off the bench for the Gamecocks this year. Staley said she knows the impact Fulwiley could make late in big games, but Fulwiley will have to trust Staley on when she gets her minutes.
“There are times in which I want to play her at the end of games,” Staley said. “But she and I both know that’s a trust thing. You’re asking me to play you in front of some seasoned vets that have been in the program a long time. Now, we do give up her ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball. We give up that, and it’s a gamble, but I like to know certain things at the end of basketball games.”
During the Oklahoma game, Fulwiley could’ve attempted to take over on offense after her first-quarter buzzer-beater. But Staley credited her after the game for maintaining a level head and continuing to play the role South Carolina needed.
“She’s helping me, especially with this particular game, because I know she wanted to get off after the wow moment,” Staley said. “She wanted to continue to best that wow moment, but she didn’t. She just played solid defense. ... She took really good shots. The long threes are probably — she just wanted the dagger. You’ve got to let her have that space. As long as she’s playing defense, I’m really fine with it. You can take bad shots, just defend.”
South Carolina has a top-five matchup on deck this week when No. 4 LSU comes to Columbia on Thursday. Fulwiley said her performance against Oklahoma, along with how USC has played recently, gives her confidence for the upcoming matchup.
“I like playing good because it motivates me to play even better and outdo myself,” Fulwiley said. “And as a team, I feel like we all just motivate each other to want to do good. We never pout when we don’t play good. We just motivate the next person, motivate the next teammate and that works out in our favor a lot. I think the love we have for each other is going to get us through these tough games this next week.”
This story was originally published January 22, 2025 at 7:30 AM.
