Women's Basketball . December 6, 2023

Newcomers lead No. 1 South Carolina to rout of Morgan State

Game #1

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Tessa Johnson had a career-high 16 points and MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 14 as No. 1 South Carolina made easy work of overmatched Morgan State 104-38 on Wednesday night.

The Gamecocks improved to 8-0 for the third straight season.

South Carolina had six players in double figures, with Te-Hina Paopao and Raven Johnson scoring 12 apiece and Kamilla Cardoso and Sania Feagin each finishing with 10.

Chloe Kitts had a game-high 14 rebounds, the best performance of her career.

Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley, seeking a more consistent start for her young team, tinkered with a new lineup. Point guard Raven Johnson, the starter for the previous seven games, came off the bench along with center Cardoso, also a seven-game starter.

Running the offense in Johnson’s place was Paopao, who had been starting at shooting guard, and backup center Sakima Walker was in Cardoso’s place. Tessa Johnson also received her first start. The Gamecocks certainly looked smoother at the start than in their last four games, but it was hard to call it a finished product due to the severe gap in talent.

Tarmaria Rumph had 11 points to lead Morgan State.

The @milaysiaf lay-up package is 🤌 pic.twitter.com/cGl6CHVsRS

— South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) December 7, 2023

Notables

With the 104-38 victory, South Carolina tallied its fifth game in the last eight with 100 points or more.
The Gamecocks finished shooting a Staley-era record 68.3% from the field (41-for-60) after rounding out the second half at an impressive 71.0%. It was the second-highest shooting percentage in a game in program history.
South Carolina opened up the second half on fire, quickly setting up a 10-0 run after sinking three straight 3s from three separate players.
Six players finished in double-figures, with all 10 scorers grabbing at least six points.
Freshman Tessa Johnson led the team in scoring for the first time this season, picking up a career-high of 16 points after going a perfect 2-for-2 behind the arc, including her final three as part of a 19-4 run by the Gamecocks in the final quarter.
MiLaysia Fulwiley had an excellent second half, scoring 10 of her 14 points and finishing with a career-best 6–for-8 (.750) from the free-throw line.
Chloe Kitts marked another career night, becoming a beast on the glass with a career-high 14 rebounds in addition to four assists.
Raven Johnson had a perfect shooting game, shooting 100.0% from the field (5-for-5) and behind the arc (2-for-2).
Te-Hina Paopao had her seventh-consecutive game in double figures after putting up nine of her 12 points in the first half.