The No. 2 South Carolina women's basketball team earned its 10th victory in SEC play over the Georgia Bulldogs at Stegeman Coliseum on Thursday night.
The Gamecocks (10-0 SEC) remain undefeated in SEC play, improving their overall record to 22-1. With this victory, South Carolina notched its 19th straight win over Georgia (9-15, 1-9 SEC).
"Chloe (Kitts) was great, (Sania) Feagin was great, I thought Tessa (Johnson) got in there," said head coach Dawn Staley. "It just was scrappy... so we'll need every bit of that as we move forward."
The Gamecocks started the night 3-5 from the field during the first five minutes in contrast to the Bulldogs 1-8. South Carolina’s depth was on display with seven different players scoring the first field goals.
Freshman forward Joyce Edwards stepped onto the court four minutes into the game and made her presence known with a block a few plays later. South Carolina ended the quarter up 9 points with a score of 18-9.
Senior guard Te-Hina Paopao started the Gamecocks scoring in the second quarter bringing the score to 21-9A corner three-pointer from sophomore guard Tessa Johnson expanded the Gamecocks lead to 19 points.
The Gamecocks controlled the game getting 15 points in the second quarter compared to the Bulldogs 6. Georgia struggled to find traction from the paint, scoring 4 of their 6 points off of free throws. The teams entered the locker room at halftime with South Carolina leading 33-15.
Georgia fought back early in the third quarter, with senior guard Asia Avinger scoring three straight baskets in the first three minutes of the quarter for the Bulldogs.
Despite the Bulldog’s efforts, South Carolina remained in control. Paopao dished the ball to junior forward Chloe Kitts for a three-point shot four minutes into the quarter. Kitts' three-pointer marked the Gamecocks seventh of the game, already above their season average of 6.2 three point shots per game, with 16 minutes left on the clock.
South Carolina distributed the ball well, with five different players notching assists in the third quarter. Kitts found Tessa Johnson for a three-point shot in the final minute of the quarter to put the Gamecocks at 54-31 entering the fourth.
The Gamecocks continued to dominate the game in the final period. The sophomore duo of MiLaysia Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson both entered double digit scoring in the fourth quarter. A successful driving layup from freshman guard Maddy McDaniel with just under seven minutes on the clock made her the 11th Gamecock to score during the matchup.
McDaniel built on the South Carolina lead, going 3-3 from the field for 6 points. Junior forward Maryam Dauda closed out the scoring with two free throws, as the Gamecocks finished with a 74-42 victory.
Ball distribution
South Carolina’s depth was on display through a balanced attack and selfless plays.
The Gamecocks totaled 19 assists, above their average of 16.8 per game. Senior forward Sania Feagin led the team with five assists, followed by Raven Johnson and Edwards with three each. Eight Gamecocks ended the game with at least one assist.
Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson led the team in scoring with 13 and 12 points respectively. A total of 11 Gamecocks scored during the matchup.
Attacking the ball
South Carolina's defense played a big part of the game. The Gamecocks totaled nine steals and eight blocks during their dominant performance over the Bulldogs.
A more impressive statistic is the Gamecocks 47 total rebounds, which is above their season average of 42.9. Staley thought this number was an improvement for the team.
"I though we did a better job at boxing out," said Staley. "We did a better job at just scraping. If you couldn't get it, hit it out."
Feagin led the team in rebounds with nine, followed by Kitts and Raven Johnson who had seven and six respectively. Eleven total Gamecocks combined for the 14 offensive and 33 defensive rebounds.
Bench players made an impact
41 of the Gamecocks' 75 points came from the bench, while the starters combined for 34 points. Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson, who lead the team in points, came off the bench.
Staley believe McDaniel's performance indicates a return to the form expected from her.
"I thought Maddy did a great job today," said Staley. "We've been trying to work with her to get her back to pre-Christmas form and I think she's getting there. I think she's about there."
What's next?
The Gamecocks (22-1, 10-0 SEC) will travel to Austin, Texas, where they will face the No. 4 Texas Longhorns (23-2, 9-1 SEC) on Feb. 9. The game will tip off at 2 p.m. and air live on ESPN.