WBB: Gamecocks beat Rebels 66-45
South Carolina defeated Ole Miss 66-45. The win puts South Carolina one win away from a 16-0 conference record for the second year in a row.
The game followed what has become a familiar blueprint lately for the Gamecocks. They did not play especially well, but superior talent and depth won out over the course of the game. Thursday night, the Gamecocks were their own worst enemy for most of the game.
In a coach's decision, Tiffany Mitchell did not start the game for the first time in three years. Bianca Cuevas got her first career start in Mitchell's place, and South Carolina struggled to find its offense. Midway through the first quarter, South Carolina had as many turnovers a2 points (seven). The turnover problem never went away, but once Mitchell entered the game the offense picked up.
The Gamecocks led 18-14 after the first quarter, and Madinah Muhammad had scored 12 of the Rebels' 14 points. She scored the first basket of the quarter before heading to the bench for a breather. With Muhammad out, the Rebels' offense disappeared, and the Gamecocks took control of the game.
A'ja Wilson and Alaina Coates pounded the ball inside, combining to score 12 points in the quarter. All of the Gamecocks' 16 second quarter points came on layups. Meanwhile, the Rebels suffered through an abysmal shooting stretch. They missed 14 straight shots and went over seven minutes without a field goal and trailed 34-19 at halftime.
Muhammad and Shandricka Sessom, who scored 13, made three consecutive three-pointers early in the third quarter as Ole Miss pulled within seven points. South Carolina went back inside, and Cuevas, who scored nine, was fouled on a layup and made both free throws. Coates and Wilson followed with layups, and South Carolina was quickly back up double digits.
The unlikely duo of Doniyah Cliney and Sarah Imovbioh combined to lead South Carolina on a 7-2 spurt to start the fourth quarter that put the game out of reach. South Carolina led by as many as 24 in the fourth as it wore down Ole Miss and won going away. Wilson finished with 16 points and five blocks, while Coates had her 15th double-double of the season with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Mitchell chipped in 12 points in her reserve role.
South Carolina dominated across the board, shooting 56 percent and holding Ole Miss to 22 percent shooting. South Carolina made more free throws than Ole Miss attempted (18 to 17), and outscored Ole Miss 40 to 8 in points in the paint. South Carolina held a 40 to 32 rebounding edge and scored 12 second chance points. But South Carolina also committed a whopping 29 turnovers. Ole Miss turned them into 27 points, and the turnovers were the only thing keeping the game from being a blowout from the opening tip. South Carolina's previous season high for turnovers was only 21, and the 29 turnovers is the second most ever South Carolina has had under Dawn Staley. The most was 32 back in Staley's first season.
Notes:
Going into the game, Mitchell had started 128 of 131 career games. She last came off the bench on February 28, 2013 at Missouri. That was the third of a three game stretch in which Dawn Staley experimented with bringing Mitchell off the bench and starting Khadijah Sessions instead. Those were the only three games Sessions started during her freshman season. ... Muhammad scored a game-high 20 points. ... Ole Miss grabbed a whopping 21 offensive rebounds (and only 11 defensive rebounds), but when you miss almost 50 shots, there are plenty of opportunities. Ole Miss shot 14-63 in the game, and South Carolina grabbed 31 defensive rebounds. ... South Carolina was a picture of consistency Thursday. It scored 18 points in the first quarter, and 16 in the second, third, and fourth quarters. ... Sessions only played five minutes in second half, and had her right knee wrapped in ice on the bench. ... Jatarie White did not play as she recovers from an illness that cost her the last three games. ... South Carolina closes out the regular season at home Sunday against LSU. South Carolina's final three games of the season are against the bottom three teams in the SEC standings.
