South Carolina women’s basketball scored 106 points, the most South Carolina has ever scored against a conference opponent, during Thursday night's win against Vanderbilt.
With this 106-43 win against Vanderbilt, the Gamecocks move to 9-1 (4-0 SEC) on the season and extend their conference win streak to 20 games.
“I was really proud of our team," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said after the road victory. "Obviously on the defensive side of ball, we stayed engaged. Vandy is a team that they have constant movement ball-side, weak-side. You can sometimes get yourself out of defensive position, but I thought our players really stayed engaged.”
The Gamecocks started the game off strong, leading by 17 at the end of the first quarter and outscoring the Commodores 19-0 in the second. The Gamecocks have now won 13 straight games against Vanderbilt and only have two losses in the series under Staley.
South Carolina’s defense dictated the pace of the game, especially in the first half. Vanderbilt was held to 13 points and only made one three-point field goal before halftime.
The Gamecocks finished the game with 10 steals and nine blocks while outrebounding Vanderbilt 60-28.
“We’re trying to get our players to pass the ball a lot more and dribble a lot less. Hopefully that will continue to bring some fluidity to our offense and easy buckets. Sometimes I think we overdribble and I think sometimes we don’t push the ball and pass it," Staley said.
South Carolina accomplished their record-high score by shooting efficiently and consistently rebounding. The Gamecocks finished shooting 55 percent from the field and 41 percent from three-point range. They notched 19 assists, led by junior guard Destanni Henderson who tied her career high with nine, to Vanderbilt’s three.
Junior forward Victaria Saxton and sophomore guard Brea Beal both had double-digit scoring outings in the first half and each finished with career highs in points with 20 and 17, respectively. Sophomore forward Aliyah Boston finished with nine points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in only 19 minutes and senior guard Lele Grissett had seven points and 12 rebounds.
“It’s all in the effort to have a big-picture mentality, meaning, you know, you don’t play for the scoreboard, you play for the moment," Staley said about how her team was able to stay motivated throughout the game. "Opportunities. We were able to play a lot of people, a lot of people have to play and a lot of people have to get game experience.”
The Gamecocks look to continue their undefeated SEC run during their next game, which is on Jan. 18 at home against Arkansas.