USC looks to improve shooting after home loss against Aggies Sunday
If USC had made just one-third of its shots against Texas A&M, coach Dawn Staley said it would have been enough to propel her team to victory.
The No. 16 Gamecocks’ 50-48 loss to the Aggies on Sunday was the latest chapter in a season-long offensive struggle. As they prepare to face the No. 9 Wildcats on the road tonight, the Gamecocks have a straightforward strategy.
“Make layups and make free throws. That’s really it,” senior guard Sancheon White said. “It’s simple.”
USC (20-4, 8-3 SEC) finished Sunday’s game shooting 28.1 percent from the field and making 10 of 22 free-throw attempts. In a road win over Alabama last week, South Carolina made 38.2 percent of its shots and went 5-of-11 at the line.
Despite the shooting struggles, Staley said she has seen an improvement in the offense, especially in transition.
“It’s all in the half-court,” Staley said. “(It’s) not necessarily (that) we’re taking bad shots. We’re missing open shots. You have to get [the players] in the gym and get them used to seeing the ball go through the net.”
South Carolina has faced five ranked teams this season, and its sole win came against Kentucky (21-3, 9-2) when the two teams faced off at Colonial Life Arena on Jan. 24.
In that game, USC held Kentucky’s leading scorer, senior A’dia Mathies, to just 12 points, largely thanks to White’s efforts in guarding her. Mathies is the reigning SEC Player of the Week and last year’s conference Player of the Year.
Staley said White, who will match up against the senior for most of tonight’s game, considers it a personal challenge to face a player of Mathies’ caliber.
“They have so much more than Mathies, but we know when the game is on the line and they need a basket, they’re going to put the ball in her hands,” Staley said.
The coach added that USC will not be caught off guard by other players on UK’s offense. Redshirt sophomore Jennifer O’Neill, described by Staley as a “fireball,” was the Wildcats’ leading scorer with 17 points during the teams’ most recent matchup.
On South Carolina’s offense, four of the five starters are averaging at least nine points, and a different player has led USC in scoring in each of its most recent four games. Staley said the team is at a disadvantage because it does not have one go-to player if a basket must be made near the end of the game.
But the coach added that opposing teams have the challenge of preparing for four players.
“We’re certainly in a good position where we feel good about putting the ball in anybody’s hands,” Staley said. “I know we can get a shot up. It’s just, who’s going to make it?”
The Gamecocks have not allowed themselves to dwell on Sunday’s loss, with White citing the team’s 24-hour rule when she said they have moved on. The players’ focus is on the challenging atmosphere at Kentucky’s Memorial Coliseum, where Staley said the intensity will be “off the charts.”
“I think they’ll bring a lot of energy, just because it’s their home floor and we beat them one time,” White said. “I would if I was them.”