Dec. 11, 2016
Box Score | USATSI Gallery 
| Photo Gallery
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A historic performance from the 3-point line and 22 points from junior guard Kaela Davis carried No. 6/6 South Carolina to a dominant 98-58 win over Minnesota Sunday afternoon at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks’ 16 field goals from beyond the arc were the most under head coach Dawn Staley and one short of the program’s single-game record. Carolina improved to 7-1 on the season with the win, while the Golden Gophers dropped to 7-4.
Six Gamecocks finished the game with a 3-pointer, while Davis, junior guard Allisha Gray and freshman guard Tyasha Harris all totaled at least three field goals from distance. Gray, who dished out a game-high seven assists, scored all 18 of her points in the first half, and senior center Alaina Coates registered a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards to go along with four blocks. Junior forward A’ja Wilson chipped in 10 points for Carolina, whose 29 assists Sunday were also its most under Staley.
Gray sparked the Gamecock offense in the early going with a put-back basket and 3-pointer from straight away to make it 8-0. Carolina’s size stifled the Minnesota offensive attack, and the Golden Gophers missed their first seven attempts of the contest. The Gamecocks totaled five blocks in the first quarter and caused several air balls from Minnesota. Carolina continued to collect points from beyond the arc, and Gray’s second 3-pointer of the afternoon pushed the advantage to 13-0 with 6:17 left in the period. A series of nice passes freed up junior guard Bianca Cuevas-Moore for a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to make it 18-3, and Davis connected from distance less than three minutes later to stretch the lead to 24-8. The Carolina backcourt accounted for 17 points in the opening period, and the Gamecocks took a 24-13 lead into the first break.
Timely baskets down low and 3-point shooting allowed Carolina to build a 30-point cushion at the end of the second quarter. After another 3-pointer from Davis, the Gamecocks flexed their muscles down low with inside buckets from Wilson and Coates to push the lead to 31-16. Davis and Gray’s hot shooting was on full display for the remainder of the half, as the two combined for 21 of Carolina’s final 26 points of the second period. The Gamecocks responded to a Minnesota 3-pointer with a deep field goal from Davis, and another jumper from the junior made it 36-20 less than four minutes into the period. Gray totaled four field goals over the final 5:40 of the quarter, chipping in two 3-pointers and a pair of layups. Her fourth 3-pointer of the half extended the advantage to 51-22, and Davis connected on her fifth field goal from beyond the arc to give Carolina a commanding 57-27 lead at the half. The pair of Gamecock standouts combined for 35 first-half points and shot 9-of-14 from distance in the first 20 minutes.
The 3-pointers continued to fall for the Gamecocks out of the break, and a pair of buckets from beyond the arc by Harris made it 65-31 in the early stages of the third quarter. A great pass in transition from Gray led to an easy layup for Wilson to give Carolina its largest lead of the game at 71-34 and force a Minnesota timeout with just over six minutes left in the period. More great passing on the break resulted in a bucket inside from Cliney, and Coates carried the offense for the next few minutes with four-straight points to grow the lead to 79-34. Davis again turned in a strong finish to the quarter, knocking down a 3-pointer before getting into the lane and slipping a pretty pass to Wilson for a layup on Carolina’s next trip down the floor. The Gamecocks headed into the final period in total control with an 85-40 lead.
The offense ran through Coates at the start of the fourth quarter, with the center tallying four of Carolina’s first six points of the period. Freshman guard Victoria Patrick’s first 3-pointer of the contest extended the cushion to 96-49, and the Gamecocks maintained at least a 40-point advantage the rest of the way.
Carolina shot 52.8 percent from the floor in the win and boasted a 45-39 rebound advantage. Ten of Minnesota’s 18 field goals came from the 3-point line, and the Golden Gophers were held to just 28.6 percent shooting for the game. The Gamecocks, who scored 42 points in the paint, caused 14 Minnesota turnovers and ended the game with nine blocks.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Dawn Staley
On South Carolina’s 3-point shooting performance Sunday against Minnesota “When we’re knocking them down at the rate that we’re knocking them down, we’re in a groove and we’re going to take them. I’ve never put any handcuffs on any of our players as far as shooting the basketball. I need them shooting shots in rhythm, and I need them to knock down shots. Today we did get a little bit of balance, and we have players who can hit those shots.”
GAMECHANGER
Junior guard Kaela Davis connected on her fifth 3-pointer of the first half with 40 seconds left in the second quarter to stretch the Gamecock lead to 30 at 57-27. The Golden Gophers would not get any closer to the lead for the remainder of the game.
KEY STAT
South Carolina’s 48.5 percent shooting from the 3-point line marked its season high. Junior guards Kaela Davis (6) and Allisha Gray (5) both sported career bests for 3-pointers in a game.
NOTABLES
- South Carolina’s 98 points on Sunday were its most in a game this season.
- Gamecock junior guard Kaela Davis has finished a game with at least three 3-pointers four times this season.
- Sunday marked the first career start for freshman Tyasha Harris. The guard tallied nine points on 3-of-5 shooting and matched a career high with six assists.
- Senior center Alaina Coates has five of Carolina’s seven double-doubles this season. Three of her double-doubles have come at Colonial Life Arena.
UP NEXT
South Carolina resumes its three-game home stand on Thu., Dec. 15, against in-state rival Clemson. The action from Colonial Life Arena gets underway at 7 p.m., and the contest can will air on SEC Network.
