Gamecocks Flame Out Liberty

South Carolina played a complete game on Sunday afternoon, squashing the Liberty Flames.

South Carolina took the floor on Sunday afternoon for the first time in eight days and methodically dismantled the Liberty Flames, winning by a final score of 88-39.

How did the No. 1 team in the country perform coming off of their short hiatus?

Finding New Ways To Score

South Carolina has made their living in the paint in recent years, and on the offensive end, in particular, they've done so by going to the post and allowing their frontcourt to go to work.

While the Gamecocks still tried to feed players like Aliyah Boston, Kamilla Cardoso, and Victaria Saxton when they were under the rim, today, South Carolina did a lot of their work away from the basket, especially in the first half.

Boston got things going by hitting a few jump shots near the free throw line to start, with guards hitting shots from deep, which forced the Flames to respect the Gamecocks' outside shooting ability, and, subsequently, opened up the paint for more second chance opportunities.

The Gamecocks also shared the ball consistently, with everyone moving in some form or fashion on each possession. This led to eleven different scorers at the end of the first half for South Carolina.

Active On The Defensive End

There was one area heading into the game where the Liberty Flames were going to be able to match South Carolina, and shockingly, that was the overall height and length they possessed on their team. 

Keeping this in mind makes it all the more impressive what South Carolina was able to do defensively in terms of preventing the Flames from finding any semblance of an offensive rhythm.

The Gamecocks, on most occasions, could see where Liberty was trying to go with the basketball, which allowed them to be more active with their hands, whether the ball was going away from them or coming toward them. 

All of this would culminate in 19 turnovers for Liberty and 13 more shots for South Carolina in one of the cleanest games for the Gamecocks so far this season.

It was a great all-around performance for head coach Dawn Staley's squad when you consider the team's time off from the hardwood, the potential for a letdown based on their competition, and the multiple ways they controlled the contest from start to finish.

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