For the second time this season, the South Carolina women’s basketball team pulled out a close victory on the road against conference foe Texas A&M. The Gamecocks edged the Aggies 70-63, following up on a 59-58 win in Colonial Life Arena on Jan. 17.
The frontcourt was the driving force for the 21-0 Gamecocks, as sophomore forward A’ja Wilson led the way with 27 points, and junior center Alaina Coates had a strong overall performance with 12 points, 10 rebounds and a half dozen assists. Senior guard Tiffany Mitchell also turned in a solid game, scoring 20 points.
In the second quarter, things were not looking good for South Carolina, as the home team began the period on a 15-0 run, jumping out to a 27-17 lead. The Gamecocks finally broke out of the slump with a basket with just under four minutes to go before the half, but the team managed just eight points in the entire second quarter. Despite the poor quarter, Texas A&M held just a 31-25 lead at the half, which would not last long.
The Gamecocks came back to outscore the Aggies 25-16 in the third quarter, and the team held the lead for the final 4:41 of the period. Texas A&M started the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run, but South Carolina battled back with 10 straight points to grab a lead they would never relinquish.
Coach Dawn Staley’s squad was extremely unbalanced on offense, as only five players attempted shots, including senior guard Tina Roy, who finished with just one point. The offense ran primarily through Wilson, who shot 9-17 from the field and 9-10 from the free throw line. Mitchell also took 17 shots, and the duo combined for 47 of the team’s 70 points.
The Gamecocks performed uncharacteristically well from the charity stripe, making 20 of their 25 foul shots, a significant increase from their 64.3 percent mark coming into the game. On the other hand, the team had a tough night from beyond the arc, making just two of 11 attempts from deep, a big drop-off compared to their 5.6 made threes per contest prior to Sunday’s game.
South Carolina will head back to Columbia to take on No. 12 Kentucky for the second time this season. To match last season’s 22-0 start, Staley must ensure her team does not get caught looking ahead to their following game with top-ranked Connecticut. However, the Gamecocks will likely take the Wildcats seriously, as they needed to come from behind for their 73-62 win in Lexington, Kentucky, on Jan. 14.