Despite the absence of All-American forward A'ja Wilson, South Carolina narrowly survived in a tightly-contested 66-63 victory over Georgia.
Wilson suffered a sprained ankle in South Carolina's win over Florida on Jan. 8. Her absence weighed heavily on the Gamecocks.
The Gamecocks missed Wilson's physical presence in the paint, and Georgia matched South Carolina in scoring inside.
Inconsistency plagued South Carolina on offense for much of the night, as the Gamecocks oscillated between periods of long scoring droughts and flourishes of consecutive baskets.
Freshman guard Tyasha Harris put South Carolina on the board with a three-pointer in the Gamecocks first offensive possession, but they would miss their next seven field goals. South Carolina responded by making seven of their next nine shots from the floor, and after the first period they held a 20-7 advantage. Senior center Alaina Coates dominated the glass early on, recording 8 of her 11 rebounds in the first period.
In the second period, the Bulldogs began to convert on open looks from the perimeter. Senior guard Pachis Roberts carried Georgia on offense during that stretch, compiling seven points in the period. On the other side of the court, South Carolina endured a slump of ten consecutive misses, making just one field goal attempt in the period. Their ability to force turnovers on defense enabled them to maintain a narrow 30-27 lead at the half.
While South Carolina clearly missed Wilson inside, junior guard Bianca Cuevas-Moore was able to compensate by scoring a career-high 25 points off the bench. With Wilson out, Georgia focused on containing Coates at the post, packing the paint with multiple defenders, and leaving Cuevas-Moore with open opportunities. She blended her offensive attack by using her speed to push the ball inside while also demonstrating finesse as a shooter.
With five seconds remaining, Georgia's Haley Clark missed a potential game-tying free-throw. South Carolina guard Allisha Gray was subsequently fouled, but she managed to make both of her attempts from the line to preserve a South Carolina victory.
The Gamecocks will travel to LSU on Jan. 15. Wilson's cast will be removed tomorrow according to Coach Staley, but her status against the Tigers remains day-to-day.