The South Carolina women's basketball team defeated Vanderbilt 82-54 in a contest where the Gamecocks never trailed.
Sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley led the team on offense with a season-high 24 points and freshman forward Joyce Edwards had a 17-point double-double along with two blocks and three steals to lead the team defensively.
In the first quarter, the Gamecocks started with an early 7-0 run led by senior guard Te-Hina Paopao in the game's opening minute. From there, Paopao scored 2 more points, and Fulwiley scored 9 points as South Carolina went on an 11-4 run to end the first quarter up 24-11.
South Carolina continued to hold onto its lead from the first quarter as the Commodores scored 11 points and held the Gamecocks to a 13-point margin. The Commodores cut the lead down to 10 points, as the Gamecocks had a 35-25 lead going into halftime.
Despite having a lead over Vanderbilt, the Gamecocks struggled, shooting 34.2% from the field and 18% from the 3-point line. The two teams also had the similar field goal percentage, but Vanderbilt continued to allow 7 points off of fouls in the first half.
Coming out of halftime, Edwards led a 16-3 run with 11 points as the Gamecocks put up 21 points total and widened their lead to 56-37 at the end of the third quarter. Edwards also shot 100% from the field during the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, redshirt freshman forward Adhel Tac and freshman guard Maddy McDaniel combined for 6 points to close the blowout. South Carolina continued to dominate over the Commodores and ended the game with a final score of 82-54. Although the team struggled from the 3-point line, shooting 26%, the Gamecocks scored 48 points in the paint and out-rebounded the Commodores 47-35.
Strong rebound game
The Gamecocks out-rebounded Vanderbilt in the first half, grabbing 31 total rebounds compared to the Commodores’ 17. Out of those 31 rebounds, 14 of those were offensive rebounds and 17 were defensive.
Edwards led the team in rebounds with nine of her own in the first half.South Carolina also had six other players who had at least two rebounds in the first half, showcasing the team's well-rounded dominance on the glass.
"We really gave multiple efforts when it came to rebounding and defending," head coach Dawn Staley said.
In total, the Gamecocks would put up 47 rebounds total while Vanderbilt would put up 35 rebounds. South Carolina's rebounding ability stifled Vanderbilt's offense and was part of the reason the Commodores were held to 54 points.
Winning the turnover battle
In the first half, the Gamecocks capitalized on Vanderbilt’s mistakes with 6 points off of eight turnovers. Vanderbilt struggled to capitalize with no points off of the eight turnovers the Gamecocks committed. By the end of the game, the Gamecocks had 23 points off of Vanderbilt's 17 turnovers, aided by eight different Gamecock players who recorded a steal tonight.
"This league will eat you up if you turn the ball over," Staley said. "I thought we did a good job not giving easy buckets."
For the rest of the game, the Gamecocks scored 23 points off turnovers. The Gamecocks forced 17 total turnovers this game with 13 steals, so it was evident they were efficient in scoring after Vanderbilt’s mistakes today.
The Gamecocks played their own turnovers well, only allowing Vanderbilt to score 3 points off of the 13 turnovers they gave up this game.
Joyce Edwards' strong performance
Edwards was second in total points scored with 17 points, shooting 6-12 in the 29 minutes she played.
"Joyce is a difference maker," Staley said. "I think she's finding her spots in a game where she could truly be effective."
Edwards had a strong 11-point third quarter where she shot her season average for points per game heading into the contest of 13.4.
For rebounds, she led the team there too with 12 total, earning herself a double-double in the process before the fourth quarter started. 10 of those rebounds came from the offense, helping her and her team produce more points in today’s game.
What’s next?
The Gamecocks (25-3, 13-1 SEC) travel to Mississippi to face Ole Miss (18-8, 9-5 SEC) on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m., with the game airing on ESPN and the SEC Network.