What Dawn Staley thought was difference for South Carolina women's basketball vs LSU, Kim Mulkey
South Carolina women’s basketball trailed for nearly 33 minutes in a hostile road environment at LSU on Thursday.
For three quarters, the No. 1 Gamecocks waited around, unable to take a lead but slowly chipping a deficit down from 11 points to just one. Finally, they struck in the fourth quarter, rallying to defeat the No. 9 Tigers, 76-70.
It was South Carolina’s resiliency that marked the difference.
“We’re gonna play for 40 minutes, no matter what the score is,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. “No matter if we’re down double-digits or up double-digits, we’re going to try to figure out ways to close the gap.”
To overcome their biggest deficit of the season, the Gamecocks (18-0, 6-0 SEC) took advantage of the absence of LSU’s Angel Reese after the star junior forward fouled out with 4:02 remaining in the game.
Following Reese’s fifth foul, South Carolina outscored LSU 11-3 down the stretch to put away their 15th-straight victory over the Tigers (18-3, 5-2).
“You know she’s going to play to the very end and give it her all,” Staley said. “That’s what you lose if you’re LSU and she’s out of the game for the last four minutes of the game. You lose that.”
Even Reese’s fifth foul was a result of South Carolina’s toughness and ability to make a play. Sophomore guard Raven Johnson stole an LSU pass and created the fast break that caused Reese to foul out.
Reese was replaced by freshman center Aalyah Del Rosario, and Staley said the Gamecocks capitalized by working the offense through her.
“I thought Del Rosario did a great job, and she’s getting better,” Staley said. “But when you lose Angel, you lose a big part of what they do because she touches the ball and makes the right decisions.”
While LSU had to go away from what it is best at, South Carolina went straight to its A-game – the 3-point shot.
South Carolina is the nation’s best 3-point shooting time, making the deep ball at a 44% clip. On Thursday, it was junior guard Bree Hall stepping up to make the difference.
Hall hit two 3-pointers after Reese fouled out, both assisted by senior center Kamilla Cardoso. The second proved to be the go-ahead basket in the win.
South Carolina’s 3-point shooting has been vital. Staley said the Gamecocks' shooting capabilities have opened up the floor for the offense.
“It gives us a shot at winning the game in this type of environment when it was hard for us to get a bucket,” Staley said. “It was hard for us to score in the paint, it was hard for our post players to score. The threes loosen things up a little bit.”
South Carolina was down five points at halftime and would have been down more if it didn’t end the first half on a 6-0 run. In the second half, the Gamecocks toughened up, working all the way back to a victory.
WATCH: South Carolina freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley hit buzzer-beater 3-pointer at halftime vs LSU
South Carolina buckled down on the boards, which had been a big part of LSU’s first half advantage. The Tigers grabbed just two offensive rebounds in the second half after totaling eight in the first two quarters, while the Gamecocks flipped the script with seven offensive boards of their own in the second half.
“It’s basketball. You make adjustments,” Staley said. “I thought our players did a great job at making adjustments after the half. It basically boiled down to just toughening up.”
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Dawn Staley on how South Carolina women's basketball beat LSU, Kim Mulkey
