Gamecocks Win Showdown At UConn 81-77 (Updated With USC & UCon

[FeatheredCock]

Gamecocks Win Showdown At UConn 81-77 (Updated With USC & UCon​

Feb. 06, 2023 STATS

Check off another box for Dawn Staley and her #1 ranked USC women’s basketball team. Sunday, they beat 5th ranked Connecticut for the first time in the Constitution State 81-77 in a game played in Hartford. The defending national champs have won three in a row over the program they supplanted as the nation’s best and ran their current overall winning streak to 29 games.

Both teams owned double digit leads at one point. The Huskies led by 11 at the end of the opening quarter. And with just over two minutes to play, the Gamecocks owned a 12 point lead 74-62.

UConn scored six straight points to close to within six at 74-68 with 1:11 to play. The Gamecocks were able to hold off the Huskie by making enough of their free throws, 7-out-of-12, the rest of the way. UConn did get to within three with ten seconds to play, but Raven Johnson hit a foul shot one second late for the four point cushion.

The Gamecocks shot just 39% from the floor but scored 26 points from the line. As usual, the Gamecocks won the boards and had 25 offensive rebounds they converted into 25 second chance points. Their depth also showed up as the USC bench outscored the Huskies’ bench 37-0.

Aliyah Boston led the Gamecocks with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Kamilla Cardoso also had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

The Gamecocks are 23-0 and will play Thursday night at Auburn.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

We were bad offensively in the first half and UConn was making some crazy (to their credit) shots. Zia Cook was 2/15 from the field which is atrocious...if she was merely bad instead, say going 5/15 and one of those additional 3 baskets being a 3 pointer (that's + 7 points) we win easily.

To their credit the girls never panicked and kept playing their game and eventually built up a big enough lead to hold off UConn's late charge. The only negative I seen was in the closing minutes we kept committing fouls which of course stopped the clock and allowed UConn to convert several 3 point plays.

 

[kingofnerf]

#3 LSU is also 23-0 and we get them at the CLA this Sunday. LSU game will probably sell out.

We're on the road against Auburn on Thursday, while LSU is off until our Sunday game.

LSU will be rested while we will be in a regular rhythm. Two great coaches and teams. Will the layoff make a difference in the game?

 

[kingofnerf]

The Gamecocks shot just 39% from the floor but scored 26 points from the line. As usual, the Gamecocks won the boards and had 25 offensive rebounds they converted into 25 second chance points. Their depth also showed up as the USC bench outscored the Huskies’ bench 37-0.

This is how Frank won a lot of games and Lamont's guys need to watch and learn from this game.

Penetrate and draw fouls instead of settling for jumpers.

UConn big Aaliyah Edwards shut down Boston for 3 quarters, but she got into foul trouble and the game came to Boston in the 4th quarter.

Veteran players playing through the adversity and getting the win.

Props to Raven Johnson, too, for keeping her cool in the "bright lights, big city" hostile environment.

 

[kingofnerf]

Here is the box score:

TEAM	FG%	FG	3F%	3F	FT%	FT	TO	PtTO	REB	OR	B	S	A
USC	39%	26-67	20%	3-15	72%	26-36	6	11	42	25	6	3	11
UCONN	52%	28-54	33%	2-6	76%	19-25	13	10	30	10	5	3	7

We outrebounded the Huskies and drew contact in the paint on offense to get to the line.

Winning basketball.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

This is how Frank won a lot of games and Lamont's guys need to watch and learn from this game.

Penetrate and draw fouls instead of settling for jumpers.

UConn big Aaliyah Edwards shut down Boston for 3 quarters, but she got into foul trouble and the game came to Boston in the 4th quarter.

Veteran players playing through the adversity and getting the win.

Props to Raven Johnson, too, for keeping her cool in the "bright lights, big city" hostile environment.

Raven is going to be special here.

 

[gamecock88]

Fortunate to win this one from what I saw. Uconn outplayed them for a large part of the game, especially the first half. They had several key players out and others in foul trouble, some of those ticky tacky but it was called that way on both sides. Geno costed them with the tantrum throwing the bottle. Major swing. USC will need to play much better for an entire game vs good/talented teams with a full roster. Always a good win to beat an elite program and stay #1 but not nearly as impressive as its being built up to be.

 

[FurmanCock]

Only 6 turnovers against a really good defensive UConn team -- that bodes well for SC if they can keep that kind of execution and focus. Combined with the team's rebounding ability and this team will be tough to beat, especially if they shot 30+ free throws a game @ 72%.

 

[Garnetandglad]

Winning against UConn on the road is huge! Gino is full of crap whining about his Guard getting bruised. Wonder how many bruises Boston had

 

[kingofnerf]

Dawn fires back at Geno's comments:

Gamecocks' Dawn Staley on criticism from Geno Auriemma, others: 'I'm sick of it'

Dawn Staley lost games to UConn for years before turning the corner. She didn't say a word about officiating. So why is Geno Auriemma crying foul now that the Gamecocks

www.postandcourier.com

“When you say it’s not basketball, when you say your player has bruises on her body … our entire post players, we know if we unclothed them you will see the bruises,” Staley said. “Whether they win, whether they lose, we don’t denounce anybody’s play. They’re always uplifting the game of women’s basketball, and when we were getting our heads beat in by UConn for all those years, I said nothing.”

Staley has also returned fire this season at random social media posts from opposing fans who have described the Gamecocks as “thugs” and “inmates.” There’s defending her players and their earned successes, and as she said Wednesday, there’s pre-gaming for a potential rematch.

“I do not want the narrative to be, ‘South Carolina plays a physical game, we’re tackling people out there.’ You know, we’ve been called so many things and I’m sick of it,” Staley said. “I’m sick of it because I coach some of the best human beings that the game has ever had.”

Dawn Staley claps back at Geno Auriemma's criticism of South Carolina's physical play vs UConn

"Every time that we're successful, we're called something other than players that are locked in," Staley said. "They play the right way and approach it the right way whether they win or lose. We don't denounce anybody's play. They are always uplifting the game of women's basketball, and when we were getting our heads beat in by UConn for all those years, I said nothing."

 

[Homebrewcock]

Fawk Geno. He is a whiney asshole that never concedes the better team won. I hate him and Uconn. Staley has built a great program and Geno doesn't like that his team is not automatically the best anymore.

 

[jrgamecock]

How good are the Gamecocks, well uconn loses to us and they gain 1 spot in the rankings. Getting beat by a better team must have helped them.

 

[kingofnerf]

Dawn stands up for what she believes in, but I also feel she shouldn't let herself get worked by a bunch of faceless Internet trolls, either.

Particularly those from an opposing fan base.