The Daily Gamecock

Without Wilson, Gamecocks look to continue momentum against Commodores

The Gamecocks have recently suffered without their record breaking, explosive senior A’ja Wilson, shown specifically in the loss against Tennessee. 

Even though the Gamecocks will again be without one of their leading scorers, they will need to stay focused and resilient as they take on Vanderbilt on Thursday night.

In Sunday's game against the Vols, Tyasha Harris led the team and set a career-high with 28 points. She's one of the players that Head Coach Dawn Staley needed to step up with all of the injuries, and she was pleased with the performance.

“That’s what great players do, you know, when they're a player down, they step up,” Staley said. 

Staley hopes Harris can continue to contribute like this moving forward, but without Wilson South Carolina will have to find a source of speed on offense in order to get ahead and gain momentum. It will be essential for the Gamecocks to stay out of foul trouble Thursday in order to use the players already on the court to their advantage. 

Staley acknowledged her team was shorthanded against Tennessee, saying it ultimately hurt their rotation and ability to execute fully because of their short lineup.

Offensively, Staley’s team has a big gap to fill without Wilson's help. Wilson is key to getting the Gamecocks on the board early and capturing momentum. However, Staley refuses to have a doubtful mindset regarding her team's abilities. It is clear that the young Gamecocks are going to have to find energy starting at tipoff. 

Adversity is something that South Carolina will have to continue to look in the eye and fight through against the Commodores. 

“Injuries have been plaguing a lot of teams this year and obviously other teams are doing it," Staley said. "So it’s do-able.” 

Also, although Wilson's injury is giving the Gamecocks an additional challenge, her college career is nearing its end and her absence can show the team that they have the ability to play well without her. 

“I think this is a great thing to know that we can provide offense without A’ja,” Harris said. “And when she comes back, we’re gonna be even better.” 

South Carolina is holding on tight until Wilson returns, but for now the Gamecocks will need to carry firepower with them and finish their rotations, which will create more strength for them against Vanderbilt.


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