The No. 1 South Carolina (5-0) women's basketball team beat the formerly undefeated Clemson Tigers 77-45 at Littlejohn Coliseum on Wednesday night.
With this win, the Gamecocks have secured 43 straight wins, the longest win streak in South Carolina women's basketball history. South Carolina is now 36-33 all-time against in-state rival Clemson, dating back to 1975. Dawn Staley is now 14-2 in the Palmetto Series.
The Tigers are led by new head coach Shawn Poppie, who was facing South Carolina for the first time. Poppie previously spent two years as the head coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Both South Carolina and Clemson brought fully healthy lineups. Gamecock sophomore guard Tessa Johnson returned to the lineup after missing the last two games with an ankle injury, scoring 8 points in 16 minutes off the bench.
The Gamecocks showed early struggles in the first quarter dealing with the man-to-man defense from the Tigers. South Carolina shot just 23.8 percent in field goals in the first quarter.
Despite the slow first quarter, the Gamecocks held a 20-point lead going into the half, powered by 4:58 minutes of unanswered scoring from the Tigers. The second half proved much better for the Gamecocks, scoring 48 points and shooting 58 percent in field goals and 50 percent from the three.
Defensively, South Carolina continued to show its physicality. The team totaled nine blocks and six steals.
Slow start, big finish
Gradual beginnings have become a trend for South Carolina in its first five games of the season.
The Gamecocks underwent a slow start to the game, trailing 11-10 after the first quarter. South Carolina was 0 for 3 from the three and was only shooting 24 percent in field goals after the first 10 minutes.
Dawn Staley said the team needed to make after they trailed in the first quarter.
"Just simplify," Staley said. "I think we were just trying to do too much, and play too fast."
At the tail end of the second quarter, South Carolina went on a 17-0 run, changing the momentum of the game.
After a dominant end to the first half, the team continued to improve. Senior guard Te-Hina Paopao continued to show command and leadership on the floor, leading the team with 13 points and going 6-15 on field goal attempts.
The Gamecocks put up 48 points in the second half, fueled by shots inside the paint. The team looked much more comfortable shooting three-pointers in the second half, going 6-12.
The 32-point win over in-state rival Clemson improves the team to 5-0 on the season.
Bench depth on display
Heading into the night, the South Carolina bench ranked No. 15 in the NCAA in points per game.
Tonight, the bench put up 43 points, versus Clemson’s 3 points from bench players. All but one player who checked into tonight's game put points on the board for the Gamecocks.
Staley said she looks to give her starters and bench players "mileage" so they are well-versed in all aspects.
"We're just trying to strengthen our bench at this point," Staley said. "The sharper we are with everybody else, the harder it is going to be to scout us."
Junior forward Ashlyn Watkins led the non-starters, earning a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in 20 minutes. Behind Watkins, Johnson and freshman forward Joyce Edwards each had eight points apiece.
Record breaking game
With the win against Clemson, the Gamecocks now hold the record for the longest win streak in school history. The previous record of 42 wins spanned the 2022-2023 season, only ending after a Final Four loss to Iowa in the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.
"To have two of them is pretty special," Staley said. "It means that our players make a commitment to team, they make a commitment to us, they make a commitment to each other, and when you do it that way you can have this type of historical moment."
The win streak is the seventh-longest in NCAA history and second in SEC history, behind Tennessee who has 46 straight wins.
What’s Next?
The Gamecocks travel to Los Angeles to face No. 5 UCLA on Nov. 24. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. and will be broadcasted on FS1.