WBB: Coates out-muscles Kentucky in 78-68 win

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South Carolina defeated Kentucky 78-68 to stay unbeaten. Alaina Coates was dominant on both ends of the court with 27 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks.

The game was everything one has come to expect from a South Carolina-Kentucky game. It was close, testy, and brutally physical. Tiffany Mitchell left the game midway through the second quarter after landing hard on her right hip. Despite being undercut on the play she was called for a charge, and questionable calls like that one also played a role in the game.

Despite being the reigning SEC Player of the Week, Coates is clearly the less celebrated of the Gamecocks' big three, but Thursday night she controlled the game. With Mitchell out and A'ja Wilson dealing with foul trouble, Coates carried the load on both ends of the court. She made 10-14 shots and 7-12 free throws, and patrolled the lane on defense, the biggest and strongest player on the court.

Fouls were the only thing that slowed Wilson. She scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds, but picked up a technical foul late in the third quarter that limited her minutes the rest of the way. She scored only one point, on a free throw immediately after the technical, the rest of the game. Though Wilson's scoring was limited, she continued to work the two-player game with Coates. Their ability to funnel opponents toward each other's help, combined with an innate ability to know where the other is on both ends of the court, was something Kentucky had no answer for.

"They're a lot bigger than us and we are struggling to guard them right now," Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell said. "They're real good players."

Coates and Wilson were quick to credit the other for opening things up for them, citing "undeniable chemistry."

"The things I saw from Kentucky's D was split-second things: in that split-second you either run with it or you don't," Coates said. "Fortunately I had my partner out there with me."

"I've been with Lay since we were 11 years old, since we had to hold our socks up with rubber bands," Wilson said. "We know each other very well and know no one is up there with us."

Kentucky led 21-20 when Mitchell left the game, but South Carolina answered with a 13-3 run to help take a five point lead into halftime. South Carolina seemed poised to break the game open in the third quarter until Makayla Epps got hot. After going scoreless in the first half, Epps scored 13 of her 17 points in the third quarter. At one point she scored nine straight points and 11 of Kentucky's points in a 13-5 run. That run pulled Kentucky within one point with 2.3 seconds left in the third quarter and seized all the momentum from South Carolina. But Khadijah Sessions came to the rescue.

Sessions got the inbound pass, took a couple of dribbles, and then launched a three-quarter shot from the "A" at the end of "Carolina." The shot banked in for "Globetrotter D" and the previously silent crowd celebrated throughout the quarter break.

"It was pretty big," Wilson said. "It increased the lead. We used that and the energy of the crowd to keep going in the next quarter."

With the momentum back in hand, Coates took over. She scored 12 points in the fourth quarter (as a team Kentucky scored 15), grabbed three rebounds, blocked a shot and dished out an assist. She also helped win free Chick-fil-A for the crowd when she fouled Epps with a minute left. Coates put a little extra oomph on the foul and Epps was slow to get up and visibly shaken as she missed both free throws. It was a clean play, but also pointed payback for all the hacks she had taken throughout the game as the officials struggled to make consistent calls.

"I thought that was one of her best games," Staley said. "She did a great job in the back of our defense directing and communicating."

Both coaches were unhappy with the officiating. Mitchell was upset that Kentucky was whistled for 31 fouls and South Carolina only 17. That led to South Carolina shooting 35 free throws and Kentucky only 14.

"We're not as adept at not fouling as South Carolina," Mitchell said. "It's hard to win when you foul that much and the other team doesn't fouls."

Staley engaged in several heated arguments with the officials during the game, but afterwards refused to even comment.

"I just stay away from that," she said. "I want to keep my money in the bank."

Notes:

Coates' signature play may have come in the second quarter. She challenged a shot and grabbed the rebound, fixed her ponytail, then through and outlet pass to Wilson, drawing the foul. Her 27 points were a career-high in SEC play. ... With 31.4 seconds left, Tina Roy went to the line for a pair of free throws. The crowd chanted "We want UConn!" while she shot. Staley quipped later, "They don't have to play 'em." ... After fielding numerous questions about the upcoming game against the Huskies, Staley was asked how much that game has been on the Gamecocks' minds. "I have yet to hear UConn mentioned once," she said. ... Roy struggled replacing Asia Dozier in the lineup. She went 2-11 shooting, but did make several key shots in the second half. ... Dozier remains day-to-day. ... Tiffany Mitchell returned to the Gamecock bench in the second half and could have played, but Staley opted to give her more rest to get her ready for the rest of the season. She scored two points in just ten minutes. ... Attendance was 15,015. ... South Carolina returns to action Monday night against UConn.

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