South Carolina women’s basketball dominates Vanderbilt in the paint, wins 91-74

COLUMBIA — Senior center Kamilla Cardoso tied a season-high with 23 points, helping push South Carolina women’s basketball to a 91-74 victory over Vanderbilt in front of a sold-out crowd Sunday at Colonial Life Arena.

The No. 1 Gamecocks (19-0, 7-0 SEC) used their size advantage to dominate the Commodores (17-4, 4-3) in the paint, outscoring them 48-28.

Vanderbilt hung around for much of the first half, taking a lead early in the second quarter. It was down just four points halfway through the quarter when the Gamecocks went on an offensive run.

Senior guard Te-Hina Paopao scored five points and sophomore forward Ashlyn Watkins added three more in an 8-0 run for South Carolina. Junior guard Bree Hall added a 3-pointer to extend the Gamecocks’ lead at halftime to 12 points.

South Carolina continued to build its lead in the third quarter, extending it as large as 20 points thanks to Cardoso’s performance in the paint and a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Raven Johnson.

Vanderbilt struggles against Cardoso’s size

Cardoso scored 23 points, taking advantage of her length against a smaller Vanderbilt team.

The Commodores, who don’t have a player taller than 6-foot-4, struggled to match the 6-foot-7 Cardoso’s size. Cardoso made four of her first five shots in the game, then started the second half off by making five shots in a row.

After missing her last five shots in the first half, Cardoso came out after the break and was much better underneath the rim. She scored 13 points in the third quarter alone, making all five of her field goal attempts and added three points at the charity stripe.

After starting 2-for-4 from the free throw line, Cardoso finished 5-for-7. She also had six rebounds and two blocks.

Raven Johnson dishes assists

Sophomore guard Raven Johnson contributed 10 points and seven assists to the win in one of her best all-around performances in SEC play.

Johnson’s seven assists, her most since recording 17 assists in a win over Clemson, 109-40, on Nov. 16, and her most in conference play this season. Johnson was also the Gamecocks’ best 3-point threat Sunday and was one of two players with multiple 3-point makes. She finished the night 2-for-3 from deep.

Both Te-Hina Paopao and MiLaysia Fulwiley struggled from beyond the arc. Paopao, who leads the nation in 3-point shooting percentage, was 1-for-7, while Fulwiley finished 2-for-9. The Gamecocks, who lead the nation shooting 43.5% as a team from deep, were 7-for-23 in the game.