South Carolina trounces NC Central by 52
Coach Dawn Staley’s 100th win as head coach of the South Carolina women’s basketball team came in convincing fashion Monday night, as the Gamecocks demolished North Carolina Central 79-27.
“I think any win is a good thing, but I always try to keep things in perspective,” Staley said. “I think over the past couple of years, our players have done a tremendous job in getting me to this point.”
Staley’s 100 victories have come in five seasons after taking over the program in May of 2008, and she has led South Carolina to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 appearance two years ago.
With Monday’s triumph, the No. 12/13 Gamecocks have yet to be beaten this season, and no team has even come within 20 points of doing so.
Sophomore guard Tiffany Mitchell led the way against the Eagles with 19 points and has scored in double figures in every contest this season. Mitchell’s early-season success has her near the top of the SEC in several statistical categories including field-goal percentage (third), steals (seventh) and points per game (10th).
“I think Tiffany is now in the process of trimming the fat,” Staley said. “Now she’s more selective in the shots that she’s taking, and she’s seeing her numbers go up because she’s more efficient.”
Two other Gamecocks turned in double-digit performances on offense Monday, as junior Aleighsa Welch had 13 and freshman Alaina Coates went for 15. Coates was a presence on the boards as well, hauling in a team-high seven rebounds on the night.
In her first year with South Carolina, Coates has made an immediate contribution. She averages 13 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, statistics that have even Coates herself pleasantly surprised.
“I knew I was going to make some sort of impact, but I wasn’t expecting it to be this great,” Coates said. “I’m grateful that it is and I’m able to help my team in the way that I am. And I’m just going to continue to keep working hard.”
While Coates has shined coming off the bench, several players on the South Carolina roster have seen very limited minutes in the first eight games. But Monday night’s blowout victory allowed Staley to give every Gamecock that was suited up a chance to take the floor.
“A lot of those players that played at the end of that basketball game, they have to sit a lot,” Staley said. “But they practice just as much as the people that play a whole lot of minutes.”
Not only did every eligible player enter the game against NC Central, but each one scored at least one bucket, including freshman India Farmer’s first-ever points in a Gamecock uniform.
The sentimental aspect of emptying the bench aside, Mitchell thinks games like the one Monday could serve to help South Carolina’s depth as the season progresses.
“I think it’s a good confidence-builder going into the home stretch of nonconference play and going into conference play,” Mitchell said. “So we’re going to need confidence going into that.”
The Gamecocks have just two games remaining before SEC play begins, including South Carolina’s biggest test of the season so far when they take on No. 18/12 North Carolina on Dec. 18.
Staley has brought Gamecock women’s basketball from relative obscurity to national prominence en route to her first 100 wins with the program, earning just 10 victories in her first season in Columbia in comparison to South Carolina’s 25 last year.
And while the coach appreciates the milestone she reached Monday night, she is saving her enthusiasm for a much bigger achievement.
“We want the big one to be the big one, which is win a national championship,” Staley said. “So if we can add all these hundred games and wins up and it equals a national championship one day, that’s when I’ll be the happiest.”