Dawn Staley pleased but not satisfied after Arkansas win

Staley said the Gamecocks are "good, but we're not there yet."

The first and third quarters of No. 4 South Carolina’s 91-82 win over No. 21 Arkansas showed just how good the Gamecocks can be.

The second and fourth quarters showed just how much work still needs to be done.

Offensively, the Gamecocks’ offense hit a number of dry spells. At one point in the second quarter, USC went 1-8 and shot 25 percent from the field in that period. They would have a similar lapse in the fourth and shot 29.4 percent from the field.

Head coach Dawn Staley admitted her team was gassed during those times due to the tempo of the game and it led to some poor offensive decisions.

“[During the droughts we took] bad shots. Bad shots. I thought we fatigue played a part. I think both teams were really fatigued,” she said. “One time we slowed the ball down and I looked at both teams and they were just, tongues were hanging out and I was like ‘oh y’all are tired, huh?’ One of their players looked at me and laughed. But they were really tired. It was a fast-paced game and I thought during that time it was the pace of Arkansas. That’s why we lost some assignments in transition and they got back in it.”

Freshman forward Aliyah Boston finished with 19 points and a freshmen record 25 rebounds. Staley said while Boston has some things to work on, her effort was commendable.

“I look at it like she had 19 and she could’ve had 40 easily, easily. So she’s got some things she needs to work on,” she said. “But for right now, she’s rebounding the basketball, she’s scoring when we need her to score. She’s smart. She’s a competitor. She plays like she wants to win every game.”

There were a number of upsets around the country this past week, including No. 6 Baylor beating No. 1 UConn 74-58. This could cause a jump in rankings for the Gamecocks.

Regardless of what the number is in front of their name, Staley said she’s not buying into the hype at this point in time.

“We got a good team, but we’re not there yet,” she said. “When we’re able to put teams away and if you’re fortunate enough build a big lead you should be able to finish them off. But it’s hard against a team like Arkansas, especially if you don’t stay locked in.”