WBB: Gamecocks rout Dolphins 77-41
Photo Gallery by Chris Gillespie
South Carolina shook off some early rust to easily advance to the second round with a 77-41 win over Jacksonville. Alaina Coates led the way with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Both teams struggled in the first quarter, as the effects of the long layoff between the conference tournament and first round of the NCAA Tournament were evident. South Carolina turned the ball over on its first two possessions and missed its first four shots from the field. Jacksonville shot just 2-10 for the entire quarter, allowing South Carolina to lead 15-6 going into the second quarter.
The Gamecocks added two points to their lead in the second quarter, but an eleven point lead at halftime was hardly the blowout expected of a number one seed. Neither was the 42 percent shooting, the six turnovers, or the slim 21-19 rebounding edge over an opponent with just one player over 6-0.
"I told our players at halftime that we’re not playing with any fluidity, we’re not synced up," Dawn Staley said. "We’ll make those shots if it’s coming in the flow of the offense. I thought we got a little trigger-happy early on. Part of the reason is that our post players weren’t dominant in the paint, and when they’re not dominant in the paint, our perimeter players feel like they’ve got a better shot at making shots at that point. The adjustment we made was just Alaina taking the ball towards the basket and staying on balance and focusing and finishing."
The second half was all South Carolina. Coates scored consecutive baskets inside, and then Tiffany Mitchell scored on a jumper and a pair of free throws. After a timeout, Mitchell drained a three from the corner, South Carolina's first three after nine misses. That 11-2 run put South Carolina up by twenty.
"The initial game plan was to go inside, but we just settled for jump shots," Mitchell said. "(Staley) told us to pound the ball in the paint because obviously it wasn't working for us early on. Once we got the ball inside the outside shots started to open up for us."
The Dolphins responded with seven straight points, but it was their final push. Again, it was Coates who powered a run. She converted a three-point play, Mitchell hit a three from the opposite corner, and then Coates added another layup. Sarah Imovbioh added a free throw, and then Bianca Cuevas hit a floater at the buzzer to cap an 11-0 run. In all, the Gamecocks outscored the Dolphins 22-9 in the quarter, and Coates alone equaled the Dolphins' point total.
"I knew they were going to come out and be tough, but after awhile having to go at it for 40 minutes on both ends of the floor, and it started to tire them down," Coates said. "I kind of took that time to really go at them."
The fourth quarter opened with another basket by Coates, and South Carolina quickly ended any doubt. South Carolina scored 23 points in the quarter, most of any quarter, despite emptying the bench.
"They just wore us down," Jacksonville coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said. "We physically could not match with their bigs. So I've got to go recruit."
Kansas State 56, George Washington 51
Kansas State held off George Washington in the early game to advance to play South Carolina.
George Washington led 31-22 at halftime, but Kansas State opened the third quarter on a 9-0 run to tie the game. Kansas State led by a point after the third quarter and stayed in front for the entire fourth quarter.
After a putback by Jonquel Jones pulled the Colonials within a point with 1:25 left, both teams missed three-pointers. Kindred Wesemann made a pair of free throws for the Wildcats with 29 seconds left. Then the Colonials missed their best chance to tie the game, Jones was fouled softly as she went up for a shot, but she pushed her five-foot jumper a little too hard and lost a chance for the three-point play. Jones still made both free throws to make it a one-point game again. Brianna Craig went to the line for the Wildcats and missed both, but got redemption when she rebounded her own miss. The second time around she sank both free throws. Jones missed a game-tying three with five seconds left and the Wildcats added a pair of free throws to seal the win.
Jones led all players with 20 points and 13 rebounds. She helped lead George Washington to a 50-33 rebounding edge, but could not overcome a 26 percent shooting performance. George Washington shot just 5-31 in the second half and did not make a three-pointer the entire game. Megan Deines and Breanna Lewis led Kansas State with 14 and 13, respectively.
With the win, the Wildcats advanced to the second round of the tournament for the eighth time in their last nine appearances.
Notes:
A'ja Wilson scored 15 points and had a game-high 11 rebounds. ... South Carolina is 5-0 in NCAA first round games under Staley. Four of those wins were by at least 20 points. ...Khadijah Sessions dislocated a finger diving for a loose ball. She sprinted to the end of the Gamecock bench, signaling to the officials to hold on a moment. The trainer popped it back in and play resumed with Sessions on the court. She finished with eight points and four assists. ... Asia Dozier and India Farmer were the only Gamecocks not to score. ... After missing six free throws in the first quarter, South Carolina missed just two the rest of the game. ... Cuevas had another strong game, with eight points, four rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Most importantly, she committed just one turnover. ... South Carolina finished with 46 points in the paint and a 44-30 rebounding edge. ... Senior Briona Brown led Jacksonville with 17 points. ... As she left the postgame press conference, McPhee-McCuin said, "We'll be back (in the Tournament), just hopefully not here!" ... Attendance for the session was 10,276. ... South Carolina and Kansas State play Sunday at 7.
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