Feb. 2, 2017
LEXINGTON, Ky. — A big second quarter and 20-point outings from senior center Alaina Coates and A’ja Wilson delivered No. 4/6 South Carolina a 75-63 win over No. 25/- Kentucky Thursday night at Memorial Coliseum. The victory moved the Gamecocks to 19-2 overall and 9-1 in SEC action, while the Wildcats fell to 15-8 and 6-4 in league play.
The Gamecock frontcourt owned the paint throughout the night and filled up the stat sheet along the way. Coates shot 8-of-9 from the floor to tally 20 points, and the senior matched a career high with 18 boards as she recorded her sixth double-double in conference play. Thirteen of her points came after the half, and 16 of her 18 rebounds came on the defensive end. Wilson made her presence felt on both sides of the ball with 20 points and a game-high five blocks. She fell one rebound shy of a double-double and grabbed five of her nine boards in the first quarter. Junior guard Allisha Gray scored eight of her 11 points during Carolina’s dominant stretch to close the first half, while sophomore Doniyah Cliney matched a career high with six assists.
The 22-4 run to end the second quarter keyed Carolina’s victory and built a 19-point lead at the half. The Gamecock defense was the difference during the stretch, as Kentucky was held to just two points over the final 6:41 of the first half. Defense led to offense for Carolina against a Wildcat team that committed four turnovers during the pivotal run. The Gamecocks forced 14 Kentucky turnovers for the night and came up with seven steals.
Neither team created much separation in the early going, and the contest remained a one-possession game throughout much of the first period. Wilson’s jumper from the free throw line put Carolina in front 6-4 with 6:52 left in the first quarter, and her tip-in again gave the Gamecocks the lead at 9-8 two minutes later. The junior was active on the glass on both ends early on, and an offensive rebound led to a Kentucky foul and two free throws from Wilson that made it 11-8. Her productive opening quarter continued when she knocked down a step-back jumper from the right side to register her third field goal and give Carolina a 15-13 lead with 2:06 remaining in the period, and freshman forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan’s first basket extended the advantage to 17-13. The Gamecock frontcourt accounted for 14 points in the first 10 minutes, and Carolina headed to the first break leading 20-15. Wilson netted nine points in the quarter to go along with five boards, three of which came on the offensive end.
The Wildcats scored the first four points of the second quarter to make it a one-point game before Cliney delivered a great pass inside to Coates for an easy layup that made it 22-19 Carolina with 8:37 to play in the first half. The basket and Gray’s play on both sides of the ball over the few minutes sparked the pivotal 22-4 Gamecock run that put Carolina in full control at the half. Gray forced a Wildcat turnover and converted a layup on the other to give the Gamecocks a 24-19 lead, and her 3-pointer from the left corner a minute later pushed the advantage to 28-21 midway through the period. Her defensive efforts carried over to her teammates, and guard Kaela Davis stepped in front of a pass and laid it in to stretch the lead to double-digits at 32-21 with 3:45 left in the period. A straightaway 3-pointer by Davis on Carolina’s next possession extended the cushion to 35-21, and the Gamecocks went ahead 42-21 when junior Bianca Cuevas-Moore connected from beyond the arc from the left corner. The Gamecock defense paced the game-changing stretch, as the Wildcats were held without a field goal for the final 6:41 of the second quarter. Kentucky shot just 2-of-15 for the period, and Carolina headed to the locker room with a commanding 42-23 lead. Four Gamecocks totaled at least five points in the first 20 minutes, and Wilson posted a first-half line of 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
Carolina’s points came down low in the beginning of the third period, and a layup from Coates followed by a three-point play from Wilson made it 47-29 Gamecocks less than three minutes into the quarter. Wilson continued to score at will, converting a jumper from inside the paint to push the lead to 20 at 49-29, and another basket from the block by Coates put the senior in double figures with 11 and established a 51-29 cushion with just over six minutes to play in the quarter. Carolina’s defense remained tough, and the Wildcats missed their next eight field goals after beginning the second half 2-of-3 from the floor. Gray’s second 3-pointer of the night gave the Gamecocks their largest lead of the night at 57-30 with 2:51 left in the period, and Carolina took a 57-40 advantage into the final quarter after the Wildcats scored the final 10 points of the period.
The Gamecock frontcourt remained a problem for Kentucky, and two great plays from Wilson led to the first four points for Carolina in the fourth quarter. The forward rolled in a layup 10 seconds into the period, and a heads up pass to a streaking Coates at the free throw line set the senior up for an easy bucket that put the Gamecocks in front 61-40 with 9:19 to play. Wilson’s eighth field goal of the contest gave the forward her seventh 20-point game of the season and made it 71-51 midway through the quarter. Coates became the second Gamecock to reach 20 points when she converted a jumper with less than four minutes to play.
Carolina shot 50.0 percent from the floor for the game and connected on seven 3-pointers, five of which came in the first half. The Gamecocks held a 40-29 rebound advantage to go along with 34 points in the paint.
GAMECHANGER
The Gamecocks closed the first half on a 22-4 run to turn a one-point advantage into a 42-23 lead through two quarters. Guard Allisha Gray netted eight points during the stretch, while juniors A’ja Wilson, Kaela Davis and Bianca Cuevas-Moore and senior Alaina Coates also registered a field goal throughout the run.
KEY STAT
Carolina’s frontcourt duo of senior Alaina Coates and junior A’ja Wilson enjoyed an efficient night shooting the ball, combining to go 16-of-23 from the floor. Both Gamecocks finished with eight field goals.
NOTABLES
- Carolina has won each of its six games against ranked opponents this season. The win over the Wildcats was its second victory over a ranked foe in SEC play this year.
- Thursday was the fourth time this season two Gamecocks registered 20-point performances in a game.
- Senior Alaina Coates’ performance marked the second time this season the center finished a game with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds. She totaled 28 points and 16 boards against Hampton in November.
- The first of A’ja Wilson’s five blocks Thursday gave the junior forward 100 in her SEC career. Her 104 blocks in conference play are a program record.
UP NEXT
Carolina faces another SEC road test when it plays Arkansas this weekend on Sun., Feb. 5. Tipoff against the Razorbacks is set for 2 p.m. ET, and the game will air on ESPN2.
