Dawn Staley says freshmen are coming along

After the 89-46 rout of Duke, Dawn Staley said her freshmen class is playing beyond their years thanks to the guidance of the veterans.

Thursday night saw the entire active roster for the South Carolina women’s basketball team log minutes and all but one player score in the 89-46 rout of Duke.

The loss was the worst the Blue Devils have suffered since 1992, but wasn’t even the Gamecocks’ biggest margin of victory this season.

USC had six players score in double figures, three of whom were freshmen. The underclassmen continue to be a force in the NCAA and head coach Dawn Staley said after the Duke game that they have been finding their way and playing well beyond their years.

“I just came into the season with an open mind and I was going to just try to let the freshmen do what they do and just kinda guide them,” she said. “That’s pretty much what we’re doing. They just have an incredible ability to approach games like they’ve been here before. They don’t let being on a bigger stage affect them in any kind of way. They just compete like no other.”

She added that the veteran presence of talented upperclassmen like Tyasha Harris, LeLe Grissett and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan has made the transition that much easier for the first-year players.

“I know we talk a lot about the freshmen, but the guidance of Ty and Kiki and LeLe, they’ve done a great job at teaching them and showing them, explaining to them how it works. And if you’re not a great listener, you’ll miss some things, but the freshmen are great listeners, great doers, they’re great competitors and hopefully we can just keep it up and just stay as consistent as we are on both sides of the ball.”

The Gamecocks face another ranked opponent Sunday at noon when No. 25 South Dakota comes to town and USC will try extend its five-game win streak.