Carolina travels to Knoxville looking for third win over ranked team
After South Carolina’s 71-56 loss to Tennessee nearly a month ago, coach Dawn Staley attributed the outcome to one major problem.
“I think it just came down to us not hitting shots,” Staley said. “I thought our defense was pretty good, and we made up for the rebounding difference by turning them over, so we got some of those possessions back. We just couldn’t hit shots when we needed to hit shots. That’s what it came down to.”
In their most recent game, however, the Lady Gamecocks shot 55.2 percent in the second half in what became a 60-53 come-from-behind victory over Mississippi State. Riding a three-game winning streak, Carolina (15-10, 7-5 SEC) looks to earn its third win over a ranked opponent when it heads to Knoxville tonight to take on the No. 4 Lady Volunteers (24-2, 12-0).
“I think expectations are high for us whether we’ve won three games or lost three games going into Tennessee,” Staley said. “Any time you have an opportunity to play a top-five team on their home floor, you put yourself in a position where, as a coach, you don’t have to motivate [the players]. They’re already motivated. It adds to the expectations when you’ve won three games in a row.”
The recent streak has significantly elevated the Gamecocks in the SEC East standings and has propelled them to their the best start in conference play since the 2002-03 season, when the team finish with a 9-5 SEC record. To knock off UT, however, Carolina will need strong performances from sophomore Ieasia Walker and junior La’Keisha Sutton. In USC’s first meeting with the Lady Vols, Walker posted 24 points, 19 of which came in the second half, while Sutton added 11 of her own. Similar showings from the pair of guards will likely make or break the Gamecocks’ chances on the road.
In Tennessee’s win earlier this season, the Lady Vols’ dominated below the basket. Although it only outscored Carolina 38-36 in the paint, Tennessee dominated the rebounding battle with a 51-31 advantage.
“Our plan has been, like we go into each game, to pressure, to use our speed to disrupt the flow of their offense, not let them set up and zone in on the things that we don’t bring to the table, which is height,” Staley said. “We have to make sure that we’re pressuring the people on the perimeter so they don’t have clean looks to go inside.”
The last time Carolina knocked off a top-five team was a 70-66 victor over then-No.5 Vanderbilt in 1988. . Staley believes an upset over UT isn’t out of the question.
“We’re closing the gap, number one,” Staley said. “Number two, we’re really tired of moral victories. Number three, if we’re able to score, just make our layups, we’ll put ourselves in a position to possibly win the game.”