Gamecocks improve to 10-1 in SEC with win
Fans at the Colonial Life Arena got exactly what they expected Sunday afternoon as No. 6 South Carolina bested Arkansas 67-49 in a hard-fought, defensive struggle to stay atop the SEC.
The Gamecocks (22-2, 10-1 SEC) had secured a 33-18 lead by halftime and were able to pull away from the Razorbacks (16-8, 3-8 SEC) after an early second-half 10-2 run.
Arkansas’ leading scorer, forward Jessica Jackson, was held to only one field goal on 12 attempts, ending the game with eight total points, less than half her season average. She finished with 14 points earlier this season when South Carolina opened up their SEC season with a 55-51 win over the Razorbacks.
“A lot of their offense runs through her, so we knew we had to kind of make them find their second and third options,” junior forward Aleighsa Welch said of Jackson. “Like I said, they try to get the ball in her hands. If she did catch it, we wanted to make it difficult for her — kind of try to tire her out a little bit, just try to frustrate her and make her do something other than what she’s used to doing.”
Jackson was not the only Razorback who found South Carolina’s physical defense tough to navigate. Junior Calli Berna and freshman Kelsey Brooks were the only Arkansas players to match their season average in points with nine and seven, respectively.
The Razorbacks, who came into the game second in the nation in scoring defense — holding opponents to an average of 51.4 points per game — tried to set the tone early with their physicality. A couple turnovers began South Carolina’s day on the offensive side of the ball, but a three-point shot by Tiffany Mitchell to get the Gamecocks on the board sent an early message that they can score from anywhere.
At one point early in the game, center Elem Ibiam found herself open in the post. Dozier fed her the ball and immediately Ibiam was swarmed by four Razorback defenders. Ibiam used her height to elevate her body and make an incredibly athletic hook shot.
After the game, coach Dawn Staley noted that, though South Carolina’s forwards and centers have drawn a lot of attention, they will have to get used to playing in that environment.
“I thought the bigs were a little frustrated today,” Staley said. “Only because they tied them up and they collapsed on them a lot, and they just stayed committed to it all game long. For us, we’re just going to have to continue to pound the ball in there. They have to get comfortable playing like that because most teams are going to do that to us.”
Arkansas’ Jackson, who is listed at 6-foot-3-inches, shadowed Ibiam for most of the early game, trying to eliminate South Carolina’s efficiency in the post. When freshman Alaina Coates checked in, Jackson was forced to alternate between the two centers with forward Jhasmin Bowen chipping in.
Ibiam and Coates were each able to muster 10 points apiece, while Welch led the team with 16 and Mitchell contributed with 15 points.
With five games remaining in the regular season, South Carolina will face LSU and Kentucky on the road this week. Although the Gamecocks now sit in the driver’s seat in the SEC, and with a conference championship in clear sight, Staley still echoes the same sentiment she has preached all season.
“I feel like our team has always been a team that’s in the moment,” Staley said. “So we’re going to talk about LSU. That’s all we’re going to talk about for the next week … The way you look at it is, if we continue to do what we’ve done all season long, that stuff will take care of itself.”