Women’s hoops looking for top-4 seed in SEC
Through nearly 27 games this year, the South Carolina women’s basketball team avoided the injury bug, with the exception being the concussion senior Courtney Newton sustained earlier in the season.
However, during the second half of the win at Alabama, standout freshman Aleighsa Welch went down with a knee injury that will force her to miss tonight’s crucial game at No. 13 Kentucky.
The knee sprain isn’t expected to keep Welch out for long, but the Gamecocks will miss her inside presence as they seek their first win in Lexington since 2008 and more importantly, the team’s first NCAA bid since 2009.
Before the injury, Welch was averaging a team-best 6.1 rebounds per game and 22 blocks.
“I think this train really keeps on rolling,” said USC coach Dawn Staley. “She does leave a big void in that she gives us an option of bringing the ball up the floor. She gives us an offensive threat. And of course, we lose a rebounder. At the same time, I think our kids are focused in on just getting the win. No matter who we’re taking to Lexington, I like who we’re taking to Lexington. We‘re going to put ourselves in a position to compete.”
Staley said that, even though Welch is just a freshman, she has handled the news of having to miss a game well.
“She’s in a good place,” Staley said. “I think it’s not a season-ending injury so that’s helpful. From my perspective, it’s pain tolerance at this point. She’s a tough kid. Injury is just a small bleep in a wonderful season she’s been having. Hopefully, it’ll make her stronger.”
The last time out on the court, USC shot a season-high 55.6 percent from the field in the 69-55 win over the Crimson Tide. That percentage, however, covered up the 21 turnovers and 22 offensive rebounds given up by the team.
USC may have been able to overcome those numbers against last-place Alabama, but it likely will not work against the second-place Wildcats, who defeated the Gamecocks 66-58 in January.
In the last matchup against the Wildcats, Carolina outrebounded Kentucky by 10, but 29 turnovers doomed the Gamecocks.
“We need to limit our turnovers,” said senior Ieasia Walker. “They had 32 points off our turnovers and I think we had over 20 turnovers that game, so we want to emphasize taking care of the ball and being more deliberate in our movements on offense.”
Despite the turnovers, the close score gives the Gamecocks confidence even though the game is on the road. Kentucky has been perfect this season on its home court, but the Gamecocks were also able to upset Tennessee on the road.
“At this point, I think the Kentucky Wildcats know what kind of team they’re going to face in the University of South Carolina,” Staley said. “For us, the SEC Tournament is on the road. The NCAA Tournament is going to be on the road. We’ve got to take care of the road and we’ve been a pretty good road team thus far.”
With just two regular season games remaining, USC is focused on getting two more wins to guarantee themselves a place in the NCAA tournament. As of now, ESPN projects the Gamecocks as a sixth seed in the tournament, but a slipup tonight and Sunday could put South Carolina in jeopardy.
“The NCAA Tournament is what it is,” Staley said. “I think we’ve done pretty much what we’ve needed to do to get in, but I think for us, we’re trying to get one of the top four spots in the SEC Tournament, so we won’t have to play on the first day. We’re playing for that, and I think Kentucky is playing to try to get the top seed in the SEC Tournament, so it’s a pretty big deal. Our kids are focused and ready to go.”