The No. 3 South Carolina women’s basketball team defeated the No. 8 Duke Blue Devils 81-70 in its SEC/ACC Challenge matchup at Colonial Life Arena on Thursday night.
The win marks the Gamecocks' third victory this season against an opponent ranked in the AP poll.
South Carolina got out to a strong start in the first quarter, taking a 15-6 lead after a 3-pointer from junior guard Raven Johnson with about five-and-a-half minutes remaining in the period. The Gamecocks were 6-8 from the field during that time, making three of its first four 3-point attempts.
This early start set the tone for the rest of the half, as the Blue Devils could not cut into that lead. South Carolina limited Duke to a 39% field goal percentage and forced 10 turnovers during the first half.
South Carolina finished the half on a 10-3 run with two-and-a-half minutes left in the second quarter, heading into the halftime break with a 51-31 lead. The Gamecocks tallied three of its six first-half steals in the span, capitalizing on fast breaks to extend the lead.
The Blue Devils came out of the half playing with more toughness, out-rebounding South Carolina eight to five in the third quarter, while forcing five Gamecock turnovers. Duke rattled off a 7-0 run midway through the quarter, but consecutive driving layups from freshman guard Maddy McDaniel kept the Gamecocks in the driver's seat.
Sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley scored her first 2 points of the half as the third quarter ended, hitting a layup after a hesitation dribble in isolation. The crowd at Colonial Life Arena erupted as the Gamecocks entered the fourth quarter leading 68-48.
Duke continued its persistence to start the fourth quarter, going on a 13-1 run to bring the score to 69-61 with seven minutes remaining.
To get out of the drought, the Gamecocks called on junior forward Chloe Kitts, who scored three consecutive baskets to give South Carolina a 76-63 lead. Kitts finished the night leading all scorers with 21 points to go along with 11 rebounds.
Free throws from Kitts and senior forward Sania Feagin put the game away for the Gamecocks, who survived the scare and potential upset loss at home.
Rebounds and turnovers force close game
South Carolina looked to be on its way to another comfortable victory after the first half, but Duke took advantage the Gamecocks' mistakes in the second half.
The Blue Devils out-rebounded the Gamecocks 33-28 in the game, the third time that has happened this season for the Gamecocks. Eighteen of those rebounds for Duke were on the offensive glass, the most South Carolina has surrendered all season.
“They kept getting offensive rebounds,” senior guard Te-Hina Paopao said. “I think the five that were on the court got a little fatigued or tired, and they were able to attack the rebounds.”
South Carolina turned the ball over 10 times in the second half, finishing the game with 16 turnovers total. The pressure Duke brought was a surprising struggle for the Gamecocks, a team who averaged less than 12 turnovers a game entering the matchup.
Feeding the post continues to be effective
The interior offense was the key to South Carolina’s success in the half-court, scoring 48 of its 81 points from inside the paint.
Kitts was the primary offensive weapon, especially in the second half, tying her career-high with 21 points while recording her ninth career double-double. Kitts also tallied two steals and two blocks.
“My teammates kept finding me,” Kitts said. “(Head coach Dawn Staley) ran a play a couple of times for me, and they just kept telling me to keep attacking.”
The Gamecocks also saw a strong showing from Feagin, who scored 11 points and was 5-6 from the free throw line. Freshman forward Joyce Edwards and junior forward Ashlyn Watkins also combined for 14 points on 6-9 shooting, all from the interior.
McDaniel continues to impress
Staley’s newest freshman guard has been a bright spot off the bench in recent games, and that trend continued against Duke. McDaniel finished with 7 points with three steals and zero turnovers in 16 minutes.
McDaniel’s baskets in the third quarter — a pair of layups that kept the lead hovering around 20 points until Duke made its eventual fourth quarter run — came at a pivotal moment in the game.
“She doesn’t turn the ball over a whole lot, she handles the ball well, she knows how we want to play and execute on both sides of the basketball,” Staley said. “She’s delivering for us time and time again.”
McDaniel now has 22 assists to just three turnovers on the season, a 7.3 assist-to-turnover ratio that leads all SEC players in the category.
What’s next?
The Gamecocks (8-1) are going on the road to face No. 9 TCU (9-0) in the Hoopfall Women’s Basketball Classic on Sunday. The game will begin at 7 p.m. in Fort Worth, Texas, and will be broadcast on ESPN2.