Jan. 1, 2017
COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 6/6 South Carolina opened SEC play in dominant fashion with a 93-45 victory over Alabama Sunday afternoon at Colonial Life Arena behind a combined 42 points from senior center Alaina Coates and junior forward A’ja Wilson. Coates tallied 19 points and 11 rebounds to notch her 50th career double-double, while Wilson shot 9-of-13 on the way to a game-high 23 points. The Gamecocks improved to 11-1 overall, and the Crimson Tide now sit at 12-2 after suffering their first loss since Dec. 11.
Wilson and Coates made their presence felt on both ends of the court in Sunday’s clinical start to league action. Both players totaled two blocks, and Coates recorded a game-high three steals for the Gamecocks, who scored 36 points off 22 Alabama turnovers and held the Crimson Tide to 27.1 percent shooting. Carolina racked up 54 points in the paint and boasted a 44-27 rebound advantage, and junior guard Kaela Davis joined Wilson and Coates in double figures with 16 points. Freshman guard Tyasha Harris facilitated the offense with six assists, four of which came in the second half, while freshman forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan protected the rim with a game-high four blocks.
Defense led to offense for the Gamecocks in the early going, and seven points off three Alabama turnovers helped Carolina establish a 12-2 lead with just over four minutes gone in the contest. A steal by junior guard Allisha Gray led to a bucket inside by Coates on the other end to make it 7-2, and Wilson intercepted an in-bounds pass and found Davis for an uncontested layup in transition less than two minutes later to push the advantage to double-digits at 12-2. Much of Carolina’s offense in the opening 10 minutes came from inside, with Wilson and Coates combining for 16 first-quarter points and seven field goals. The Gamecocks shot 68.8 percent from the floor in the period and closed the quarter on an 11-2 run to grab a 27-9 lead heading into the first break.
Wilson’s productive start stretched into the second quarter, as the junior scored the Gamecocks’ first six points of the period to give her team a 33-11 lead with 6:31 left in the first half. A jumper from the top of the paint by Davis made it 35-14, and the guard knocked down two free throws a minute later to give the Gamecocks their largest lead of the game at 37-14 with 2:55 left in the quarter. Carolina’s defense continued to give Alabama fits, and the Crimson Tide missed eight of its first nine shots of the quarter and finished the first half at 30.8 percent from the floor. The Gamecocks totaled six steals and six blocks through the opening two quarters and scored 22 points off turnovers. Wilson, Coates and Davis all reached double figures by halftime for Carolina, which took a 41-22 lead into the locker room.
The Gamecock frontcourt remained the difference in the second half, and jumpers inside from Wilson and Coates kept Carolina in control up 45-26 in the early stages of the third quarter. The lead grew to 50-27 when Coates collected an offensive board and slipped a pass to Wilson for a wide-open layup, and a put-back basket from Coates on Carolina’s next possession made it 52-27 midway through the period. All three of Coates’ rebounds in the third quarter came on the offensive end, and her second board of the period secured the milestone double-double for the center. Davis and fellow junior guard Bianca-Cuevas Moore carried the offense for the remainder of the quarter, scoring nine of Carolina’s final 12 points of the period. Both connected on a 3-pointer during the stretch, and the Gamecocks entered the final break leading 72-33.
Wilson again opened the scoring for the Gamecocks in the fourth quarter after she received a pass from sophomore guard Doniyah Cliney and converted a three-point play to make it 75-33. Cuevas-Moore’s second 3-pointer of the half pushed the Gamecock cushion to 80-36, and senior guard Tiffany Davis knocked down a field goal from beyond the arc to put Carolina in front 90-45 with 2:20 left to play. The Gamecocks closed the game on an 8-0 run, with Davis and freshmen Herbert Harrigan and Araion Bradshaw netting points during the stretch.
Carolina sported an 18-5 advantage in second-chance points and received 21 points from its bench. The Gamecocks shot 53.1 percent from the floor for the game, finishing the contest with six 3-pointers.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Dawn Staley
On South Carolina’s defensive effort against Alabama Sunday
“It’s something that we’ve been working on for quite some time. I was really pleased with the amount of energy and effort from one through five on the defensive side of the ball. We have to continue to get better.”
GAMECHANGER
The Gamecocks seized control of the game late in the first quarter, finishing the period on an 11-2 run to grab a 27-9 lead. Coates and Wilson accounted for nine points during the run.
KEY STAT
South Carolina took advantage of a strong defensive effort Sunday, scoring a season-high 36 points off turnovers. The Gamecocks have forced at least 20 turnovers three times this season.
NOTABLES
- South Carolina has won each of its last four SEC openers. Sunday marked the team’s second win over Alabama in a conference opener.
- Forward A’ja Wilson’s four 20-point games leads South Carolina this season. The junior’s performance against the Crimson Tide marked her 16th career 20-point game.
- Sunday marked the second time this season the Gamecocks tallied double-digit blocks in a game. Carolina boasted 11 blocks in its win over Clemson on Dec. 15.
- Freshman Mikiah Herbert Harrigan recorded a career-high four blocks in the win. The forward has averaged three blocks over her last four games.
UP NEXT
The Gamecocks return to action on Thu., Jan. 5, when they travel to Auburn for their SEC road opener. The contest, which tips off at 7 p.m. ET, can be seen on SEC Network+ through WatchESPN.
