Just two weeks after a landmark victory against then-No. 20 Georgia, South Carolina (14-10, 6-5) redefined itself with another momentous win, overcoming No. 15 Kentucky (18-6, 7-4) with a combination of strong defense, quick offense and clutch free-throw shooting for a 66-61 victory.
Both teams stayed close early, trading baskets until the Gamecocks separated with a 14-2 run behind eight points from guard Markeshia Grant.
“Markeshia played great,” coach Dawn Staley said. “We tried to work with her this week on just finishing at the basket. She can get there with her speed. She doesn’t always finish, but she focused and finished tonight.”
After calling a timeout with 5:22 left in the half, UK managed to close the gap from eight points to two. But in the final minute of the period, baskets from forward Jewel May and guard La’Keisha Sutton enabled Carolina to head to the locker room with a 30-24 lead.
In the second half, USC extended its lead to as much as 11 before Kentucky started clawing back again. With just inside three minutes left, a basket by A’dia Mathies cut the lead to 55-52.
From that point forward, however, Carolina scored 11 consecutive points off free throws. Grant, who finished with 12 points, knocked down the final two to seal the win.
“I thought our players executed the game plan to a ‘T,’” Staley said. “They were up for the challenge. When they put their minds to doing things, you can see where they can be very successful.”
Even with the success on offense, it was the Gamecocks’ defense that propelled them to victory. Against a team known for forcing errors, Carolina turned the ball over just 14 times, compared to 18 for Kentucky.
“I think the difference was our preparation prior to the game,” Sutton said. “In practice, we worked on being in traps and getting out quickly, drag dribbling and just working together and communicating.”
The win pushes USC above .500 in SEC play. The Gamecocks started conference play last year with a 6-5 record as well, but four consecutive losses knocked the wind out of their season. Staley emphasized that the team will continue to focus on one game at a time, but she has high hopes for the remainder of the year.
“The nonconference schedule that we’ve played, the losses that we’ve taken, competitive games that we’ve played against some top-ranked teams — I think it builds up to a moment like this game against Kentucky, where we get an opportunity to build our resume, and build our resume at home,” she said. “I’m talking build our resume for NCAA committee talk.”
