Women’s basketball, having crushed their first three SEC opponents this season, looks to continue their winning ways against No. 9 Kentucky (13-1) on Thursday night.
Against No. 24 Missouri Sunday, South Carolina (14-2) dominated the game with their defense. The Gamecocks did not allow a field goal until 2:16 in the first quarter, and the Tigers walked away from Colonial Life Arena, shooting only 31 percent from the field. The Gamecocks limited Missouri to only four 3-pointers all game en route to an 83-58 victory.
Entering SEC play, defense has been a clear emphasis for coach Dawn Staley and her team. Senior Tiffany Mitchell said that Staley hammered home defense over winter break.
“We’ve been working defense the whole break,” Mitchell said. “We just tried to do something different than we did in 2015 ... so we've just been really honing in on the defensive side.”
Mitchell has also been effective on the offensive side of the ball. On the year, the senior is averaging 14.9 points per game and has increased her production in conference play.
Mitchell is not the only guard who has been putting up good numbers for the Gamecocks. Fellow senior Tina Roy has been lights out from downtown in 2016 so far, something Staley’s team lacked in 2015. Her improvement is what Staley has been looking for to heat up the Gamecock offense.
“We're a lot more confident shooting the ball. It was one of our emphases,” she said. “We have to become a better 3-point shooting team if we want to have as much balance as we need to play in our league and to play beyond.”
Going to Lexington, Kentucky, on Thursday, Mitchell will have to continue her All-American caliber season when she matches up against All-SEC guard Makayla Epps. Epps has led the Wildcats this season by filling up the stats sheet and bringing energy to a team that lost four players to transfers this season. Epps averages 16.1 points, 5.6 assists and nearly 35 minutes a game with a total of 22 steals this season. Senior point guard Janee Thompson has also made significant contributions, averaging 12.8 points and 5.6 assists a game.
The game will be at Memorial Coliseum on Thursday at 7 p.m.