South Carolina women's basketball beats Texas A&M behind MiLaysia Fulwiley's 21 points
Freshman guard MiLaysia Fulwiley scored a career-high 21 points, leading five double-digit scorers, and South Carolina never trailed in a 99-64 win over Texas A&M on Sunday in College Station, Texas.
The No. 1 Gamecocks (17-0, 5-0 SEC) started with a 15-0 lead and maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the way, handing the Aggies (14-4, 2-3) their first home loss of the season.
"The SEC prepares you to play under these conditions on the road," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. "Road games are really hard to get wins, but I'm happy our team executed."
South Carolina and Texas A&M entered the game with the third- and fourth-best scoring defenses in the nation, allowing 51.4 and 51.5 points per game, respectively. The Aggies outscored South Carolina's average with their 64 points, led by graduate student guard Endyia Rogers' 21 points.
South Carolina scored 54 points in the first half — more than Texas A&M allows per game.
The Gamecocks outshot the Aggies 67% to 30%.
"We got a good group," Staley said. "They just want to win. They don't care who does what, they just want to win at the end of the day. I do think they are pleasers — they want to please our coaching staff, and for the most part, they've done that."
The lone dark spot for South Carolina came when freshman guard Tessa Johnson left the game after suffering an injury. Johnson rolled her ankle while playing defense early in the second quarter. She later rejoined the bench wearing a boot and in street clothes.
Bench leads South Carolina to 5-0 conference start
South Carolina's SEC-best bench production shined during Sunday's victory, scoring 45 points. Fulwiley and junior forward Sania Feagin lead the charge, scoring 21 and 15 points respectively.
Fulwiley passed her career high of 18 points in just 20 minutes. She shot 8-of-12 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
"She was confident," Staley said. "When a player is confident, magical things can happen. I think she probably wasn't as confident the last couple of games we've played. We watched film and we showed her, and good players can make the adjustment."
The Gamecocks' bench entered averaging 34.4 points per game, fourth-best in the nation. Their depth has been a vital part of their 17-0 start to the season.
"Our bench produced today," Staley said. "That doesn't happen in a lot of programs, but for us, we're fortunate that it does."
Gamecocks overpower Aggies in first half
South Carolina entered the break up 31 points after Fulwiley hit a long 3-pointer in front of Texas A&M's bench right before the buzzer. The bucket capped a dominant first half for the Gamecocks in which they had four players score at least eight points and shot 71% from the floor.
South Carolina's defense held the Aggies to 1-of-18 shooting to start the game, allowing its offense to build a 20-point lead before the first quarter ended. At the halftime break, the Aggies were shooting 20% from the field.
South Carolina carried a 26-15 rebounding margin into the break, despite allowing Texas A&M to grab eight offensive boards.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: South Carolina women's basketball never trails, beats Texas A&M 99-64
