Dawn Staley, No. 1 Gamecocks weather rocky first half to survive South Dakota
One year to the day after South Carolina women’s basketball last lost a game, the Gamecocks got a first-half scare Saturday against South Dakota at the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic, then roared to life to claim the 81-71 win.
Coach Dawn Staley’s squad entered halftime knotted at 37-37 with the Coyotes, evoking memories of last Thanksgiving weekend, on Nov. 28, 2019, when the Gamecocks were upset by Indiana in the U.S. Virgin Islands for their only loss of the season.
But No. 1 USC didn’t panic, and a powerful third quarter performance put the Gamecocks up 20 points. After that, they withstood a late run in the fourth quarter to claim their 28th consecutive victory.
“An old coach told me that a marathon isn’t won in the first mile,” Staley said of her mindset in that first half. “And ... you know, you got to have a little bit of trust in your players, that some of your habits will kick in, some of your good habits will kick in. And they did, and I was super proud. Young basketball team, different team, different leadership, we’re going to be tested.”
3 Observations
1. First half blues
USC started the game hot, hitting six of its first nine shots from the field to go up five. After that, however, the Gamecocks went ice cold, shooting under 25% for the rest of the half and at one point trailing by five points.
Layups proved to be a major issue — USC was just 8 for 21 from short range in the first two quarters, missing numerous looks under the basket despite coming down with 10 offensive rebounds.
“They just have to really focus and finish to make the adjustments. I thought that their space was crowded and they got smothered, so they have to make the adjustment to being in that position,” Staley said. “They knew it was coming. They knew it was coming but somehow, when you’re just in that moment, you have to endure it and be able to pivot and literally pivot and work around them.”
South Carolina’s interior game was especially hurt by the absence of star sophomore Aliyah Boston. With 8:53 left in the second quarter, Boston picked up her second foul, forcing her to the bench. Without her, the Gamecocks were unable to dominate like they’ve been used to with the 6-foot-5 All-American, and South Dakota managed to keep the rebounding margin respectable.
2. Big-time backcourt
The key to South Carolina staying even at all in the first half was the backcourt combo of sophomore guard Zia Cooke and junior guard Destanni Henderson. Cooke kicked off the game with two 3-pointers and led the team with 13 points at the half, while Henderson added a three-ball of her own early and put up 10 points and six rebounds at the break.
“When our post players weren’t playing as efficiently as they normally do, something else has to kick in. I think the beauty of our team is we got a roster full of talented players, and they got a good feel for the game and each other,” Staley said. “So I’m sure that Zia and Destanni looked at the production of our post players and saw that they weren’t actually in flow. So they took shots, they were aggressive. That is exactly how we want them to play.”
Sure enough, in that crucial third quarter, Henderson took over with several impressive coast-to-coast drives and wound up tallying 19 points and nine rebounds. Cooke was aggressive as well and tied with Henderson for the team lead in points with 19.
3. Third quarter dominance
For three of four quarters, South Dakota actually outscored South Carolina, 60-50. But that monster third quarter proved to be the difference, and it came as the Gamecocks reset themselves in the locker room.
“I feel like we all were there for each other, all telling each other the things that we were lacking and things that we needed to improve on within the game. I feel like we all held each other accountable to that,” Henderson said.
That started with the Gamecocks’ shooting — USC bounced back to shoot 70.6% from the field in the quarter. And while Henderson was dynamic in her own right, the layup shooting improving too, as Boston returned to the game and hit 12 points on the night, while sophomore forward Laeticia Amihere found her shooting touch after a tough first half to put up 11 points.
“We just need to adjust with everything that’s going on. Whatever we see, we just need to adjust,” Amihere said. “(Henderson) has speed, so we need to utilize that to our advantage, just pushing in transition is something that our team is really known for, so we just have to go back to our basics and make sure that we’re just making easy baskets.”
Senior guard LeLe Grissett, who did not play at all in the first half because of a coach’s decision, also came in and provided an immediate spark off the bench, scoring eight points on perfect 3-for-3 shooting from the field.
Next game
Who: No. 1 South Carolina vs. Gonzaga
What: Women’s Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic
When: 3 p.m. Sunday
Where: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Watch: Streaming online on FloHoops.com (subscription required)
USC-South Dakota stats, box score
SOUTH DAKOTA (0-1)—Ugofsky 1-3 1-4 3, Sjerven 4-7 5-8 13, Korngable 7-14 2-3 16, Krull 6-9 0-1 12, Lamb 8-24 0-0 18, Hempe 0-0 0-0 0, Peplowski 0-0 0-0 0, Sankey 0-0 0-0 0, Guebert 0-1 0-0 0, Kunzer 0-0 0-0 0, Hansen 1-5 2-2 4, Watson 2-4 1-2 5, Team 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 29-67 11-20 71
SOUTH CAROLINA (2-0)—Boston 5-14 2-4 12, Saxton 2-5 0-0 4, Beal 1-4 1-4 3, Cooke 5-16 6-9 19, Henderson 8-13 2-3 19, Amihere 4-12 3-6 11, Wesolek 0-0 0-0 0, Grissett 3-3 2-3 8, Littleton 0-1 0-0 0, Thompson 1-1 0-0 3, Russell 1-3 0-0 2, Team 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 30-72 16-29 81
Halftime—37-37. 3-Point Goals—South Dakota 2-16 (Ugofsky 0-2, Korngable 0-1, Krull 0-2, Lamb 2-7, Guebert 0-1, Hansen 0-2, Watson 0-1), South Carolina 5-14 (Boston 0-1, Cooke 3-7, Henderson 1-3, Amihere 0-1, Littleton 0-1, Thompson 1-1). Assists—South Dakota 15 (Korngable 7), South Carolina 14 (Boston 4). Fouled Out—South Dakota Lamb. Rebounds—South Dakota 37 (Sjerven 3-12), South Carolina 45 (Amihere 5-9). Total Fouls—South Dakota 25, South Carolina 22. Technical Fouls—None. A—0.
This story was originally published November 28, 2020 at 5:03 PM with the headline "Dawn Staley, No. 1 Gamecocks weather rocky first half to survive South Dakota."
