Although it didn’t have leading rebounder Alaina Coates, the top-seeded South Carolina women’s basketball team started the 2017 NCAA tournament off on the right foot Friday.
Holding 16-seed UNC Asheville to a season-low score, the Gamecocks rolled past the Big South conference champion Bulldogs 90-40 in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Colonial Life Arena.
"I thought our players really locked into the game plan and executed on both sides of the ball, coach Dawn Staley said.
"I just think over a 40-minute period, with our team and our opponent, I felt good about the direction we were going in. But since we did have the smaller lineup in I wanted to play a little bit fast and force the tempo to see if we could get up and down and create some offense from our defense, and it worked."
Four Gamecocks scored in double figures, including guard Allisha Gray, who had a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Both Biancas Cuevas-Moore and A’ja Wilson scored 18, and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan led the bench with 14 points.
"I just took advantage," Gray said. "I was there, so why not rebound? I mean, we've been working on rebounding all week, so I just did what I was supposed to do."
UNCA opened up play with physicality and jumped out to an early 4-0 lead after sinking back-to-back jumpers. The Bulldogs traded baskets with the Gamecocks during the first five minutes of action. But Gray found her stride, ending the quarter with six points and helping the Gamecocks reach a 23-15 advantage.
Wilson, the SEC Player of the Year and Naismith Trophy finalist, started the second quarter resting on the bench. Cuevas-Moore led the charge, and helped the Gamecocks reach their first double-digit lead of the game. She ended the half with 10 points. In the second quarter, the junior guard opened up scoring with a wide-open 3-pointer from the corner, putting the Gamecocks up 26-15. Guard Kaela Davis followed with a 3-pointer of her own, and Cuevas-Moore scored a breakaway layup, which led to a Bulldogs’ timeout.
After the timeout, Cuevas-Moore came up with back-to-back steals, putting the Gamecocks on pace to a 48-22 halftime lead.
"Coach McCray said 'I need you to get three steals in a row right here,' so I said 'Alright, I got you.' I gave her a little bump, came out there, pressured the court and got that ball scored," Cuevas-Moore said.
In the second half, the Gamecocks didn’t let up – on offense or defense. With Wilson, Cuevas-Moore and Gray sitting at 18 points, USC outscored the Bulldogs 22-6 in the third quarter. It wasn’t until the :33 second mark of the third quarter that a Bulldog player – leading scorer Chatori Major -- reached double figures with 10 points.
As USC led by 42, Staley pulled all five starters midway through the fourth quarter. With 1:43 left in the game, Cliney banked in a mid-range jumper, giving points to every player on the USC roster.
"It’s probably more of a response to the game situation," Staley said of her team's performance in the second half.
"We needed to create some offense from our defense and the best way you do that is to speed the game up and press a little bit. We had a little bit of a smaller lineup in so we were able to get out and play fast, and it worked for us today."
Next up:
The win advances the Gamecocks to the second round of the NCAA tournament. They’ll face the winner of Friday night’s first-round matchup between 8-seed Arizona State and 9-seed Michigan State at Colonial Life Arena on Sunday.