South Carolina used its depth to overwhelm East Carolina, overcoming a rocky third quarter for a 95-44 win.
After beating Coppin State on Thursday, Dawn Staley lamented that South Carolina got careless once it had a lead. She saw players looking for their own shots or playing to the crowd instead of continuing to execute.
If she was concerned on Thursday, she was furious on Sunday.
East Carolina started the third on a 4-0 run, leading Staley to make the first of two line changes in the quarter. After the reserve unit only managed to extend the halftime lead by one, Staley put the starters back in. They reeled off an 11-0 run to end whatever slim threat the Pirates had left.
“Were y’all asleep? Cause I was falling asleep with that first group. It’s hard. It just wasn’t working out. The energy wasn’t there. The effort wasn’t there. They were controlling the tempo of the game,” Staley said. “Just go change the energy in the building.”
South Carolina didn’t quite solve its problem with slow starts, but East Carolina made sure it didn’t matter.
The Pirates turned the ball over on their first six possessions and did not score in the first 6:22 of the game. The Gamecocks started the game by missing five of their first seven shots but regrouped to lead 13-0 before the Pirates scored.
“I felt very comfortable,” Sania Feagin said. “I wouldn’t say I felt like this was my best game but it’s starting to come together.”
South Carolina’s second unit continued to dominate. Behind the reserves, South Carolina scored a season-high 29 points in the second quarter. The Gamecocks hit 63% of their shots and went 9-13 from the line.
For the game, South Carolina shot 50.7% and held East Carolina to 38.8%. The Gamecocks got 40 points off 27 turnovers and only allowed two points off nine turnovers. South Carolina was plus-15 rebounding, plus-20 on second-chance points, plus-30 in bench points, and plus-34 in points in the paint.
All 12 Gamecocks that played scored. Chloe Kitts led the Gamecocks with 14 points and seven rebounds. Kitts was one of five Gamecocks that scored in double figures and eight that scored at least seven points. Joyce Edward and MiLaysia Fulwiley each had 12 points off the bench, and Sania Feagin and Bree Hall each had 10 points.
“The more that we’re able to be aggressive and score the ball at multiple positions, the better we’re going to be as a team,” Staley said.
Te-Hina Paopao had nine points, Ashlyn Watkins had eight, and Raven Johnson had seven. South Carolina had a season-high 22 assists on 36 baskets and 33 fast break points.
“I thought our transition D was really really bad,” Kim McNeill said. “They didn’t even have to run any offense.”
Amiya Joyner led East Carolina with 25 points.
Notes:
Tessa Johnson sat out her second consecutive game. She tweaked her ankle in the first half against NC State and has not played since then. … South Carolina has won 42 consecutive games, tying the program record. South Carolina and UConn are the only programs with multiple 40-game winning streaks. … Gamecock great A’j Wilson attended the game and sat courtside across from the South Carolina bench. … Dawn Staley’s outfit: Staley wore a black jacket and pants over a white shirt. … Announced attendance was 18,000, an official sellout. … South Carolina’s next game is on Wednesday at Clemson.
