FINAL: Gamecock Offense Comes Alive In 2nd Half In Win Over Auburn

South Carolina's women's basketball team maintained their undefeated record despite not bringing their A-game against the Auburn Tigers.

South Carolina's women's basketball team played their fourth straight game against a team with 14 wins or more, taking on the 14-6 Auburn Tigers in Neville Arena. Dawn Staley's team was sluggish in the first 20 minutes of play, but turned things around for the better in the game's waning moments.

In the first quarter, South Carolina got off to a sloppy start offensively, making only five of their first nineteen shots from the floor in the period. This stemmed from a combination of missed three-pointers (0 for 8) and straying away from what was working (four of their first five made buckets were layups).

Defensively, the Gamecocks did a good job of containing Auburn's guards off pick and rolls at the top of the key, making it difficult for the Tigers to find open driving lanes. Despite their efforts on the defensive end, things weren't much better offensively, as South Carolina attacked the basket more frequently, but were unable to convert on the majority of them, hitting just three of their ten layup attempts. In spite of their offensive struggles, Staley's team found themselves up 27-22 at the half.

Coming out of the break, the Gamecocks came alive offensively, mainly due to their decision to break down their offense into a two-option strategy: get the ball to Kamilla Cardoso on the low block or let MiLaysia Fulwiley get the ball at the top of the key and use her explosiveness to her advantage. Both plans worked quite well, as Carolina scored 21 points in the third quarter while shooting 50 percent from the floor.

That offensive success would continue in the final period as South Carolina would shoot exactly 50 percent from the floor in the fourth quarter, pulling away from the Tigers and bringing their record to 20-0. The Gamecocks will return to the Colonial Life Arena on Sunday when they take on the Ole Miss Rebels.

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