USC cracks AP Top 25 poll for the first time since March 2003
Sixteen games into the season, the South Carolina women’s basketball team has developed a formula for success that has carried them to their best start in nine years. The formula? Playing great defense and taking care of the ball.
This formula has gotten the Gamecocks (14-2, 3-0 SEC) ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, posting its best record since the 2002-03 season. Simple and fundamental, yet effective, this has led USC to a No. 2 ranking in the nation in points allowed per game, with 44.6, and a No. 11 ranking in turnovers, with 13.4. Coach Dawn Staley told reporters after the team’s 79-48 upset of North Carolina how important the defense has been so far this season.
“Defense is what we do,” Staley said. “We really get it going from that side of the ball, and once it is going well, it is a beautiful thing to see.”
Twice this season, USC has held its opponent to under 25 points, including the game against South Carolina State when the Bulldogs mustered just 21 points, a new school record for the Gamecocks. The previous record was 24, which USC tied earlier this season in a 52-24 win over Presbyterian. After the Vanderbilt game, Staley told reporters how the defensive success and fast start could be attributed to depth.
“We have the ability to play a lot of different combinations due to our depth,” Staley said. “This enables us to defend well. We may not be able to hit a whole lot of shots all the time but were able to defend in a lot of different ways. We can afford to have La’Keisha (Sutton) not score because we have the luxury of bringing players off the bench that are able to contribute. That is what we have built our success on in this particular year.”
The Gamecocks are in the midst of an eight-game winning streak that has vaulted them into the national polls for the first time since March 2003. The two losses have come by a combined seven points.
Senior guard Markeshia Grant leads USC with 10.6 points per game while freshman Aleighsa Welch, who was named the SEC Freshman of the Week, leads the team in rebounds per game (6.3) and blocks (16). Staley told reporters after the Vanderbilt game how impressed she was with Welch after her 19 point outburst.
“I didn’t think she could have this immediate effect in long stretches like she has done so far,” Staley said. “There is probably only one time this year that she has looked like a freshman and that was at Drexel. She is smart. I knew she was athletic and a good rebounder but I did not know how smart she was.”
With Sunday’s 49-44 win at Florida, Carolina is off to its best league start since the 2001-02 team started 4-0. Staley is happy with the start to the season, but she said there is a long way to go.
“It is very important to get off to a good start because wins in this league are hard to come by,” Staley said. “We have put a special emphasis on playing well at home, because after these first five games, we go on the road a little bit. But we have to play – there are no nights off.”