South Carolina wore down Mizzou for an easy 83-52 win. Here’s what stood out to me from the game.
– South Carolina got out of sync offensively during Missouri’s 8-0 run in the second quarter. More than a defensive stop, the Gamecocks needed a solid offensive possession.
I thought, this is where they miss Kamilla Cardoso or Aliyah Boston, that dominant post who can settle things down and get a good shot. Who can do that this season?
My question was quickly answered: Joyce Edwards. She was fouled on a rebound, made both free throws, found Tessa Johnson for a transition layup, converted a three-point play in the post, and then scored on a putback. The 9-0 run put South Carolina back in control of the game at halftime.
Edwards isn’t super flashy, but she rebounds, defends, runs the floor, and finishes at the rim. Sometimes that is what you need.
– On the other end of the spectrum is MiLaysia Fulwiley. Somehow she even makes jogging back on defense look flashy. I often say “Fulwiley happens” when she catches fire and scores three or four baskets in a row. Well Fulwiley definitely happened Thursday night.
She has shot well this season and at times has let that frustration carry over to her defense. Not against Missouri. She did miss a couple of early shots, but never got down. It ended up being her defense that helped Fulwiley catch fire. It was a rebound, an assist, and then a block that sparked South Carolina’s decisive 17-0 second-half run. Once the fuse was lit, Fulwiley added in a bench of baskets and finished with a game-high 17.
[USC-Texas WBB: Win tickets, parking pass]
It was a nice start to conference play and hopefully a sign of how the next three months and a week will play out.
– I’ve watched a lot of basketball over the years, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen what happened in the third quarter. Mizzou’s Laniah Randle was called for a foul, Knowing it was her fourth and she would be subbed out, she jogged over to the bench.
But nobody went to the scorer’s table to check in, so the officials didn’t stop play. With a five-on-four power play, South Carolina quickly inbounded to Te-Hina Paopao who was unguarded for a three.
Randall had to run back and rejoin the action. She ended up committing her fifth foul on the ensuing possession.
If you watch a lot of women’s basketball, it won’t surprise you that Roy Gulbeyan was one of the officials. He loves to call games by the letter of the rule instead of the spirit.
But it also reflects both teams’ level of focus. A substitution after a foul is such a routine occurrence that nobody pays much attention to the actual mechanics of the process. Missouri wasn’t locked in and lost track of the situation. South Carolina understood what was happening and took advantage.
If I’m going to criticize South Carolina when there is a lack of focus, I need to praise them when they are locked in.
