Gamecocks Overcome Slow Start To Defeat UConn

Dawn Staley and South Carolina's women's basketball team fought through early struggles to secure a 81-77 victory, their first ever win on UConn's home floor.

On Sunday, South Carolina's women's basketball team went through arguably their toughest challenge in the past month when they took on the UConn Huskies in the ever-imposing XL Center. South Carolina had to overcome some early mistakes in this contest to remain unbeaten.

In the first quarter, South Carolina got off to a less-than-ideal start, as the Gamecocks made only five of their first sixteen shots due to how often to get the basketball on the low block, something that the Huskies planned for by stacking the paint with multiple defenders. This led to the Huskies catching Carolina on their heels defensively. UConn utilized back door cuts and pick and rolls to open driving lanes against the Gamecocks' front court.

In the second quarter, the Gamecocks would battle back on both ends of the floor, as South Carolina would reel in nine more rebounds than the Huskies, thanks to the height and effort of Kamilla Cardoso. 

Defensively, Zia Cooke and Raven Johnson made it a point to run through any screens set by UConn's off-ball players, which led to UConn taking and missing more jump shots and helped the Gamecocks notch things right before halftime.

For most of the second half, the Gamecocks held onto a slim lead as their efforts on the glass continued to accumulate throughout the rest game. Still, the Huskies managed to keep things interesting thanks to the herculean offensive efforts from Aliyah Edwards and Lou Lopez Senechal, who combined for 44 total points. 

The main story of the final 20 minutes was Aliyah Boston coming alive for the Gamecocks, as she would score 23 points and snag eight rebounds after recording just three points and three boards in the first half.

Boston and Cardoso's dominance in the paint was just too much for the Huskies to overcome, as South Carolina held at one point a twelve-point lead with just two minutes to go, which was enough to withstand UConn's fight at the end of the contest. The win gives the Gamecocks their 29th straight victory dating back to last season, which ties the program record for such a streak.

South Carolina will continue the road trip this Thursday night when they take on the Auburn Tigers for their second game on their in-season home-and-home affair.

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