The No. 2 South Carolina women's basketball team defeated another SEC opponent on Friday night, the No. 5 LSU Tigers 66-56 at Colonial Life Arena, ending an undefeated season for LSU (20-1, 5-1 SEC).
The win marks four consecutive ranked victories for the Gamecocks (19-1, 6-0 SEC), with eight wins against ranked opponents this season out of nine games total.
Head coach Dawn Staley is now 18-5 against LSU in her South Carolina career, with 17 consecutive wins.
"I think we're pretty locked in," Staley said. "I think they are really connected. They understand that we're pretty good."
The first quarter saw the Tigers jump out in front, with a lead growing to as large as seven before the Gamecocks tightened up, closing the quarter trailing 22-21. Senior forward Sania Feagin scored 6 points on 3-3 shooting in the quarter, while junior guard Flau'Jae Johnson and senior forward Aneesah Morrow each scored 6 points for LSU.
The second quarter had some more back-and-forth action with no team having a lead of more than 3 points. With roughly two minutes remaining in the half, senior guard Te-hina Paopao had the highlight of the night, driving right and swinging the ball over her shoulder to sophomore guard Tessa Johnson for a no-look dime, giving the Gamecocks a 32-30 lead.
Neither team shot particularly well in the first half, as the Gamecocks shot just 12-33 (36.4%) from the field while only connecting on two of its seven three-point attempts. LSU did not fare much better, going 13-40 (32.5%) from the field while going 3-9 from behind the arc.
The Gamecocks began to break away midway through the third quarter, highlighted by 6 consecutive points in a 26-second span, beginning with a layup from Paopao. On the next defensive possession, Feagin stole the ball from senior guard Shayeann Day-Wilson, giving junior guard Raven Johnson a layup on the fast break. Seconds later, Raven Johnson stole the ball from LSU on the inbound and putting in the layup to make the score 45-36, causing an eruption from the home crowd.
"I stole the ball, and I laid it up again and I heard the crowd just screaming," Raven Johnson said. "It's things that we like to see at the CLA."
The fourth quarter saw the Gamecocks hold off LSU, while the Tigers didn't give much of a late push. Freshman forward Joyce Edwards scored 6 points in the quarter to finish with a team-high 14 points on 5-11 shooting from the field.
Free throws from Edwards and Raven Johnson in the final two minutes put the game away for the Gamecocks, giving the team the 66-56 victory.
Suffocating defense quiets talented LSU offense
Entering the contest, LSU ranked third in the nation in total offense, scoring 90.6 points per game while shooting 48.9% from the field. Flau’Jae Johnson entered the game fifth in the SEC in points per game at 19.9, while Morrow stood right behind her at 18.7 points per game.
Against South Carolina, the Tigers were held to just 56 points, the team's lowest point total of the season and its first loss this season. Flau’Jae Johnson finished with 13 points on a dismal 6-18 shooting night, while Morrow finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds, but fouled out late in the game.
The South Carolina defense also forced 11 blocks and 13 steals, all while scoring 22 points off 17 LSU turnovers.
"Defensively, I just thought we had a gritty performance," Staley said. "We just locked in, we just continued to fight, continued to get loose balls and 50/50 balls."
Depth depth depth
Eight Gamecocks played at least 15 minutes, with each of those players making at least two shots from the field. Feagin was the only Gamecock to play more than 30 minutes in the game, finishing with 36 minutes on the court.
The starting five for LSU combined for 171 of the 200 allocated minutes in the game, and the difference was apparent as the matchup reached its later stages. Senior guard Bree Hall said it was part of the game plan to get the LSU starters fatigued.
"One of the most important things was tiring them out," Hall said. "With a bench that's just so deep, I think going into these games it's really important for us to get into their bench."
The bench for the Gamecocks significantly outplayed the LSU bench with the extended minutes, outscoring LSU 31-2 in bench points.
"I always tell our bench like, 'You're the number one bench in the country,'" Staley said. "They could go other places and start, but I have to let them know what they mean to our team."
Interior play continues to shine
The engine for South Carolina continued to come from the middle for the Gamecocks, a trend that has continued in conference play for the Gamecocks.
Edwards continued to pour offense in for South Carolina, leading the team with 14 points in just 18 minutes. Coming off her second SEC Freshman of the Week honor, Edwards is quietly leading the Gamecocks in points per game this season with 12.2, all while playing just a tick over 20 minutes per game.
"I'm going to put it out there: Joyce is going to be the best player in college basketball one day," Staley said. "I say that only because of her work ethic, and her intellect and her wants. She's highly motivated."
Feagin was once again presence in the middle for the Gamecocks. Leading the team in minutes, Feagin finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Feagin is averaging 10.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in her last five games since junior forward Ashlyn Watkins lost her season to a torn ACL.
What's next?
No. 2 South Carolina women's basketball (19-1, 6-0 SEC) look to stay undefeated in the SEC when it travels to play the No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers on Monday night. The game will begin at 7 p.m. and be broadcasted on ESPN2.