The No. 2 South Carolina women's basketball team picked up a 70-63 road win over No. 18 Tennessee on Monday night for its fifteenth consecutive victory.
The Gamecocks (20-1, 7-0 SEC) put together a strong defensive performance, holding the Lady Volunteers (15-5, 3-5 SEC) well below the team’s season averages on offense.
Tennessee built an early 14-5 lead thanks to 6 early points by senior guard Samara Spencer. But the Gamecocks responded with an 8-0 to end the quarter, which cut the deficit to one at the break. Freshman forward Joyce Edwards posted 6 points in the first quarter.
"It took some adjusting," head coach Dawn Staley said. "I thought we played too fast. We missed some easy shots that we normally make. I thought just halfway through the second quarter that we found some easy ways to score once we beat their press, and then it was just a build-up."
Midway through the second quarter, South Carolina went on a 13-0 run to build a 31-20 lead. Sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley sparked the Gamecocks with back-to-back 3-pointers, forcing Tennessee to call a timeout. With less than a minute to go in the first half, the Gamecocks' lead stretched to 14 when junior forward Chloe Kitts made a layup. The Gamecocks led 35-26 at halftime. Edwards finished the first half with 11 points, while senior guard Te-Hina Paopao added 8.
In the third quarter, South Carolina continued its offensive dominance, scoring 5 straight points in the first minute of the half. With around six minutes to go in the third quarter, Fulwiley made her second 3-pointer of the contest, extending the Gamecocks' lead to 18 points. The Gamecocks led 57-39 after three quarters of play and held the Lady Volunteers to just 13 points on 4-of-18 shooting in the quarter.
"Our staple is defense," Staley said. "You don't know whether or not you're gonna be able to score a lot of points in this league. This league is based off defense, and if you're able to defend, it gives you an opportunity to win every single time."
After South Carolina's lead grew to 22 points early in the fourth quarter, Tennessee cut the deficit to 14 when redshirt freshman guard Kaniya Boyd made back-to-back layups. A jumper by Edwards gave South Carolina a 67-51 advantage with less than five minutes to go.
A late 12-2 run by the Lady Volunteers cut South Carolina's lead to 6 points with 14 seconds to go, but the Gamecocks held on for a 70-63 road win. Monday's victory was just the sixth road win ever for South Carolina against Tennessee. The Gamecocks have now won eight straight games in the rivalry.
Five Gamecocks score double-figures
South Carolina had five players finish with 10 or more points against Tennessee. Edwards led the Gamecocks with 18 points on 8-13 (61.5%) shooting. Edwards, a Camden, S.C. native, has led South Carolina in five consecutive games.
"Joyce plays the right way," Staley said. "Joyce makes good basketball decisions, and that's why you see her flourish. She just plays within her capability, and I'm not surprised."
Fulwiley also had a strong night, scoring 11 points, including three made 3-pointers. Junior guard Raven Johnson posted 10 points and five rebounds, while Paopao and Kitts both added 10 points each. For the game, South Carolina shot 29-63 (46%) from the field.
South Carolina quiets Tennessee's potent offense
Tennessee had a difficult time against South Carolina's defense, as the Lady Volunteers shot just 23-75 (30.7%) in Monday's matchup. Coming into the game, Tennessee led the country in points per game (93.4) and 3-pointers made per game (11.5). The Gamecocks held Tennessee to a season-low 63 points.
"We defend," Staley said. "We knew they were gonna come in and take a lot of shots, lot of threes, lot of ... quick shots. It's making sure you contest them, making sure that they don't go on a run like they went on a run. If we took better shots, I think we could've secured our lead a little bit better."
After last night's win, South Carolina has held six consecutive opponents to 63 points or less, with five of those wins coming against AP Top 25 teams. The Gamecocks haven't given up 70 points in a game since an 81-70 win over No. 8 Duke on Dec. 5.
"I would much rather have (played) Tennessee at the end of this," Staley said. "It's hard to recover after having to play this style of play and having to go back out and play another game. It happened at the right time, and we've got a little break where we'll decompress."
Cooper faces old team
The Gamecocks faced a familiar face in Tennessee redshirt sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper. Cooper, who spent the 2022-23 season at South Carolina before transferring to the Lady Volunteers, scored 11 points on 5-21 (23.8%) shooting. For Tennessee, junior guard Ruby Whitehorn posted 12 points and five rebounds, while Spencer added 8 points and six assists.
"Our team is resilient," Staley said. "They can win a lot of different ways. I think the biggest pull on this stretch is mentally. Obviously it's a physical battle just to play in the SEC. But to do it against the top teams in this conference, it's hard."
What's next?
South Carolina returns home on Sunday against Auburn (11-10, 2-6 SEC). Tip-off is slated for noon, and the game will be televised on the SEC Network.