Knoxville, Tenn.
No. 2 South Carolina recorded another SEC win on Monday night, beating No. 18 Tennessee 70-63 on the road in Knoxville.
The victory keeps South Carolina (20-1, 8-0 SEC) perfect in SEC play and marks the end to the Gamecocks’ stretch of five straight conference games against ranked opponents.
South Carolina led by as many as 22 points in the game at the Food City Center, but the Volunteers (15-5, 3-5 SEC) were able to chip away until the end and make it the final score close.
GAMECOCKS OVERCOME SLOW START
South Carolina’s streak of 20 or more points in the first quarter was snapped at three games. The Gamecocks scored 13 points in the first quarter Monday.
Tennessee led 14-13 after the first period, marking just the second time in SEC play this season that South Carolina has trailed after one quarter of play.
USC wasn’t shooting poorly — the Gamecocks shot 40% as a team in the first quarter — but ending the first quarter on an 8-0 run helped get the team back into gear.
The Gamecocks caught fire in the second quarter and outscored Tennessee 22-12. South Carolina shot 60% as a team in that quarter while holding the Lady Volunteers, who are known for having a prolific offense, to a 23.7% shooting clip in the first half. South Carolina didn’t lead until halfway through the second quarter.
USC had a five-minute, 18-1 run at one point in the second quarter that let it build a 35-26 lead going into halftime.
“I thought we played too fast,” Staley said. “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.
“And then that build-up was torn down in the fourth quarter by ill-advised shots. Just bad shot selection. Bad, bad, bad, bad. And fortunately for us, we built enough lead to where we were able to sustain their comeback.”
DOMINANT DEFENSIVE SHOWING (AGAIN)
South Carolina has faced some of the top offenses women’s college basketball has to offer in the last few games.
You wouldn’t know it by how the games have gone.
Tennessee had the best scoring offense in the country, averaging 93.4 points per game. The Lady Vols recorded a season-low 63 points Monday.
Kim Caldwell’s team is known for letting 3-pointers fly — Tennessee averages 33.9 of them a game — but the Lady Vols typically make a decent portion of those shots. Tennessee leads the country with an average of 11.5 3-pointers per game but was limited to just three by South Carolina.
The Gamecocks’ defensive effort led to Tennessee setting new season lows in shooting percentage (30.7%), 3-point percentage (11.5%) and field goals made (23) in the game.
TENNESSEE’S STRONG FOURTH QUARTER
The Lady Volunteers made things interesting in the fourth quarter by outscoring South Carolina 24-13 in the period.
Tennessee’s best quarter offensively came at the end. The Vols shot 52.6% as a team in the fourth quarter.
South Carolina built a 22-point lead at one point, but Tennessee was able to cut it to as little as six in the game’s final minutes. That was ultimately too little, too late for the Vols.
Staley said bad shots, among other things, allowed Tennessee to get back into the game.
Bad shots, bad decisions can be our nemesis at time. It was today,” Staley said. “Fatigue, that’s part of it today. Their pressure. It’s a combination of things.”
FRESHMEN PLAY WELL FOR GAMECOCKS
Joyce Edwards led the Gamecocks in scoring for the ninth time this season. Edwards finished with 18 points on 4 for 8 shooting. She also tallied five rebounds. Edwards has now led South Carolina in points for the last four games.
Though Maddy McDaniel didn’t light up the scoreboard, the freshman guard deserves some praise.
McDaniel, who did not play against LSU, saw some minutes early against Tennessee. McDaniel checked in when MiLaysia Fulwiley got into foul trouble.
She finished with six points on 3 for 4 shooting in 12 minutes of action. She recorded a plus-minus rating- of seven.
SOUTH CAROLINA SCHEDULE: NEXT FOUR GAMES
- Feb. 2: vs. Auburn, Noon (SEC Network)
- Feb. 6: at Georgia, 6 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Feb. 9: at Texas, 2 p.m. (ESPN)
- Feb. 13: vs. Florida, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)