CLEMSON, S.C. – Graduate transfer Lindsey Spann may be new to the in-state rivalry between Clemson and South Carolina, but she didn’t show it Thursday night.
Shooting nearly 86 percent from behind the arc, the guard scored a season-high 20 points in No. 4/2 South Carolina’s 66-36 victory over Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum.
"I just keep shooting when I'm open," Spann said. "My teammates have been finding me in transition, finding me in open spots, things like that."
"I think they've been really good looks. I have other great players around me that can find me, especially like A'ja [Wilson]," Spann added.
A’ja Wilson recorded her third double-double of the season in as many games, adding 19 points and 11 rebounds in the Gamecocks’ third win of the season.
Wilson nailed a mid-range jumper within the first 10 seconds of play, and the Gamecocks took an early lead after a 16-0 run over five minutes in the first period. The Gamecocks held a 23-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
With 6:12 left in the second quarter, Doniyah Cliney stole the ball in mid-air from a Clemson defender, and finished the possession with a layup. Clemson called a timeout after a 2:49 scoring drought.
Similar to the start of the game, Wilson took control in the final minutes of the first half. She made two straight baskets, leading South Carolina to a 37-11 halftime lead.
Despite the large lead, Wilson said she did not think it was the Gamecocks' best performance.
"We could've played a lot better," Wilson said. "We weren't very disciplined when it came to some things. Clemson found that and they kind of executed that when they could."
Wilson added, "It's just like fouling, getting easy buckets. Not defending the person that you said you were defending. It's just communication when it all comes down to it and I don't think we had a good understanding of who had who and where [people were]."
South Carolina amassed 11 turnovers, while Clemson had 18. Head coach Dawn Staley echoed Wilson's thoughts on the lack of discipline and focus from her team.
"It was kind of disappointing," Staley said. "I didn't think we played with discipline as we need to play, you know, approach it the way we need to approach it. We'll continue to work on that."
With the win, the Gamecocks improve to 3-0 and earn a point in the Palmetto Series. The Gamecocks return home to face Wofford at 3 p.m. on Sunday.