The South Carolina women's basketball team defeated Maryland, 94-86, in its first road game of the season. A'ja Wilson scored a career-high 32 points and added 12 rebounds for her second double-double in as many games.
Takeaways:
Road warriors — Maryland's road atmosphere caused trouble at times for the Gamecocks. There were multiple times in the game in which the College Park crowd got behind the Terps and the Gamecocks had trouble responding, especially late in the game. With 4:03 left in the third quarter, Tyasha Harris hit a 3-pointer to give South Carolina a 64-41 lead, but Maryland then went on a 13-9 run to end the quarter. That run seemed to re-energize the crowd and the Maryland team. South Carolina had trouble responding and quickly saw its lead dwindle to three points with less than a minute to go.
Finishing — South Carolina had trouble closing out the game. The Gamecocks shot 4-for-15 in the final quarter, which helped Maryland close the gap. Later in the year, this may come back to haunt the Gamecocks.
Career highs — It was a career night for two Gamecocks. Wilson scored a career-high 32 points, and Harris accomplished a similar feat. She recorded a career-high 20 points and nine assists. The sophomore guard will be a key part for the Gamecocks going forward this season. The Gamecocks proved they have the ability to dominate against top-ranked teams in the country.
Double Trouble — In the first quarter, Maryland elected to double Wilson in the post. She managed six points and three assists while she was finding her open teammates out on the perimeter. If teams elect to double Wilson in the post, they are taking the risk to get burned outside. The Gamecocks went 3-for-6 from behind the 3-point arc.
Rebounding — While Dawn Staley was upset that USC allowed 17 offensive rebounds to Alabama State, the Gamecocks only allowed 12 to Maryland, which is closer to about what they averaged last season. For the Gamecocks to continue to win close games, they will need to continue to box out on defense.