The Two Towers: Coates, Wilson lead way over Kentucky
Tiffany Mitchell could have played, despite a frightening injury that wound up being nothing more than a deep back bruise. But with Alaina Coates and A’ja Wilson playing so well, Dawn Staley figured Mitchell could use the rest.
Eighteenth-ranked Kentucky never had time to take advantage.
The No. 2 Gamecocks’ twin post dynamos turned the Wildcats inside-out in a 78-68 win on Thursday, keeping USC (22-0, 10-0 SEC) perfect and well atop the SEC with a regular-season sweep of its permanent rival. The pair combined for 45 points, 20 rebounds and six blocks, covering Mitchell’s absence with a dominant performance.
“I feel like that’s going to be any player, when you see any of your sisters go down,” Wilson said. “Tiffany means a lot to our program, and we were missing a lot of our offense and defense. We have to fill that gap.”
The win set up the match everybody has salivated over since the season began. Top-ranked Connecticut (21-0 with a game Saturday) comes to Columbia Monday to challenge the Gamecocks’ 45-game home winning streak.
Staley said that just like the 22 games before it, she hasn’t mentioned UConn to her team or heard it from her players. They all made it very clear that the game won’t define their season, and while it’s here now, Thursday was about Kentucky.
USC led when Mitchell went down, a scary collision with Maci Morris leaving the two-time SEC Player of the Year on her stomach on the court, sobbing. She was gingerly walked off the floor as the Gamecocks regrouped.
Coates and Wilson took over, bulldozing past Kentucky’s undersized players and beginning to see the fouls mount. The Wildcats (15-6, 4-6) were still hanging tough despite star Makayla Epps scoreless in the first half, and as the third quarter began, Epps figured that was enough.
She scored 13 points in the stanza, driving at will past USC’s flustered defenders, but the Gamecocks always knew what to do when the deficit got too close. Coates and Wilson finished through contact, swished free throws and made sure that they’d never have to turn to Mitchell, who was cleared to play but still sat on the bench.
“The people that were out there were doing a really good job, and when they’re doing a really good job, you don’t want to mess with it,” Staley said. “I just think that we were in a good place.”
USC finished despite a thin bench, Doniyah Cliney playing her best and most extensive minutes of the year and Wilson producing despite four fouls, including her first technical since middle school. Coates controlled in her absence as well, playing one of her finest career games.
“Overall, blocked, shots, rebounding, finishing in the paint, just timing,” Staley said. “Hoping it was a prelude to the rest of the season.”
The win set up Monday. ESPN’s coming for an all-day extravaganza leading to tipoff. Staley expects the first sellout for a women’s game in CLA history, and with the way the crowd (15,015) was on Thursday, it should be 10 times as loud.
“You want the throne to be overturned at some point,” Staley said of the Huskies. “Now we have to do our part.”
NOTE: As expected, senior Asia Dozier did not dress and wore a brace on her right hand. She is questionable for Monday’s game.
TURNING POINT
Coates got angrier as the game went on, which as Staley knows is the sign her best games are about to come. After Epps cut the deficit to one point, Coates received the ball in the post, spun and forced the ball through the hoop.
The ponytail whipping around her head, the arm pumping ferociously and the look she gave to Batouly Camara said it all – this is not a player to be trifled with.
3 POINTS
Star of the game: Coates was one off her career-high in points and added 13 rebounds and four blocks. With Mitchell out, it was up to her and Wilson – Wilson was in foul trouble so Coates took her place.
Play of the game: After the deficit was cut to two near halftime, Khadijah Sessions took the inbound pass and heaved a shot from 75 feet away. The buzzer sounded … and the ball slammed through the hoop to make it 35-30.
Stat of the game: Matthew Mitchell said it’s difficult to win when his team fouls that much and the other team doesn’t foul. While the calls were questionable on each side, USC shot 35 free throws due to 31 Kentucky fouls. The Wildcats shot 14 off 17 USC fouls.
FROM THE BASELINE
Blind: It’s becoming a recurring motif, and not a good one. As great a league as the SEC is, the officiating is getting worse and worse.
The three stripes on Thursday barely called any contact under the rim, but anything outside the 3-point line was a foul. Several times, Kentucky’s press was knocking Gamecocks off the ball with nary a whistle. Most egregiously, Wilson scored with a foul and stared at Camara – no words, just a look. That was deemed technical-worthy.
The refs deserved every boo they received, and they received plenty.
Gamesmanship: Up 10 and with less than a minute go, Staley called timeout. Mitchell stared her down from the opposite sideline.
In USC’s only SEC loss last year, Staley reacted to a late Kentucky timeout as the Wildcats were well ahead in the final minute. She apologized for it, saying she misunderstood. There were no apologies on Thursday.
It’s time: The game that everybody paid to see is finally here. “I haven’t heard UConn mentioned once,” Staley said. Her team has been primed on each game as it came, and realized that it wanted to take control of the SEC before this one.
But now …
“We’ve just got to do what we do,” Wilson said.
UP NEXT
Who: South Carolina vs. No. 1 Connecticut
When: 7 p.m. Monday
Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia
TV: ESPN2
Follow on Twitter at @DCTheState
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KENTUCKY (15-6)
Camara 7-13 0-1 14, Thompson 1-7 0-0 3, Morris 3-11 4-5 10, Akhator 1-4 0-0 2, Epps 8-17 1-3 17, Jakubcova 1-2 0-0 2, Murray 2-4 1-1 6, Jennings 4-9 4-4 12, Rice 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 28-69 10-14 68.
SOUTH CAROLINA (22-0)
Sessions 3-5 2-4 9, Wilson 5-7 8-10 18, Roy 2-11 2-2 7, Mitchell 1-2 0-0 2, Coates 10-14 7-12 27, Cuevas 1-5 3-4 5, Cliney 3-4 1-1 7, Imovbioh 1-2 0-0 2, White 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 26-50 24-35 78.
3-Point Goals_Kentucky 2-8 (Murray 1-1, Thompson 1-2, Epps 0-1, Morris 0-4), South Carolina 2-12 (Sessions 1-3, Roy 1-8, Cuevas 0-1). Fouled Out_Camara. Rebounds_Kentucky 32 (Camara 9), South Carolina 39 (Coates 13). Assists_Kentucky 11 (Thompson 6), South Carolina 15 (Roy 4). Total Fouls_Kentucky 31, South Carolina 17.
This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 9:07 PM with the headline "The Two Towers: Coates, Wilson lead way over Kentucky."