Feb. 24, 2017
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Junior forward A’ja Wilson’s seventh double-double of the season and a masterful defensive performance by junior guard Bianca Cuevas-Moore propelled No. 7/7 South Carolina to an 80-64 win at Texas A&M Thursday night at Reed Arena. The Gamecocks improved to 23-4 overall and moved back atop the SEC standings with a mark of 13-2 in conference action following the victory. The Aggies fell to 19-9 and 9-6 in league play with the loss.
Wilson filled the stat sheet Thursday after finishing with a game-high 21 points and 15 boards to go with three blocks and three steals. Cuevas-Moore’s quickness on both ends of the floor keyed the Gamecocks in the win, as the junior helped push the offensive tempo while adding a career-best six steals. She scored 10 of her 16 points in the second half and accounted for two of Carolina’s three field goals from beyond the arc. Fellow junior guard Allisha Gray added 12 points and six boards, while freshman forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan totaled 13 points to become the fourth Gamecock to reach double figures. Carolina’s aggressive defense was relentless throughout the game, and the Gamecocks totaled 13 steals and finished with 18 points off 15 Aggie turnovers. Texas A&M was held scoreless in the final few minutes of the first and third quarters, and the Aggies totaled just six points in the opening 10 minutes of the second half.
Both teams boasted a hot shooting start to begin the game, with the two combining to go 8-of-12 from the field in the first few minutes. The backcourt carried the load on the offensive end for Carolina early, and a pair of baskets on the break from Cuevas-Moore helped establish a 7-3 lead for the Gamecocks with 7:33 to play in the first quarter. The Aggies produced their points from beyond the arc to keep pace, and Texas A&M’s third 3-pointer of the period evened the score at nine less than a minute later. The contest remained a one-possession game for the rest of the quarter, and a nifty left-handed layup from Gamecock junior guard Kaela Davis made it 13-13 midway through the period. Each of Carolina’s final six points of the period came via layups, as two buckets inside from Wilson and Cuevas-Moore’s third field goal of the period helped send the Gamecocks into the first break with a 19-18 lead. The Gamecock defense slowed down the Aggie attack down the stretch, and Texas A&M was held scoreless for the final 3:48 of the period after missing its final six shots in the quarter.
Stifling defense and consistent production down low allowed Carolina to grab momentum in the second quarter. Herbert Harrigan paced the Gamecocks offensively out of the break with the team’s first six points in the period. A jumper from the forward brought Carolina to within one of the lead at 22-21 before a pair of nice passes set her up for two more baskets in the paint. Wilson found a wide-open Herbert Harrigan on the right block for a layup, and a great one-handed pass from guard Tyasha Harris a minute later led to another easy bucket for the freshman to give Carolina a 25-24 advantage with seven minutes remaining in the first half. Wilson began to find her range near the top of the paint, and a pair of jumpers from the junior helped put the Gamecocks in front 31-30 with four minutes left in the second period.
Carolina’s defense dictated the final few minutes of the half, as a handful of steals created more easy baskets for the Gamecocks. Harris took the ball away to set herself up for a layup that made it 35-31 Carolina, and a theft from Herbert Harrigan led to points for the forward the other way. Her basket capped an 8-0 run that extended the lead to 39-31 with a minute left, and the Gamecocks headed into the locker room up 41-35. Cuevas-Moore’s quick hands resulted in four first-half steals for the guard for a Gamecock team that scored 34 of its first 41 points in the paint. Carolina shot 61.3 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, while Wilson posted a first-half double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.
The advantage quickly grew to double-digits out of the half when a tough put-back from Gray followed by a three-point play from Davis made it 46-35 less than two minutes into the third period. Cuevas-Moore found Gray for another field goal down low to stretch the cushion to 48-35, and a great in-bounds pass from Harris led to Wilson’s seventh basket of the night and put the Gamecocks ahead 50-37 midway through the quarter. Carolina created more separation after Cuevas-Moore made two more plays on the defensive end in the final four minutes of the period. The Bronx, N.Y., native intercepted a pass and knocked in two free throws on the other end after being fouled on her layup attempt, and her sixth steal of the contest set her up for a layup in traffic that pushed the lead to 56-41 with 2:20 to play in the quarter. Texas A&M, which shot just 3-of-14 in the third quarter, again saw its offense stall down the stretch. The Aggies didn’t register a point in the final 3:59 of the period, and Carolina took a 60-41 lead into the last break.
Cuevas-Moore found her stroke from deep in the fourth quarter, and a pair of 3-pointers from the junior gave Carolina its largest lead of the game at 68-48 with 5:52 to play. A great turn inside from Wilson led to a layup that gave the forward her ninth 20-point game of the season and made it 70-50 with less than five minutes remaining in the contest. Herbert Harrigan chipped in five points in the final quarter, and the Gamecocks maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
Carolina shot 50.0 percent from the floor and finished with 54 points in the paint. The Gamecocks connected on 15 of their 16 attempts from the free throw line and sported an 18-4 advantage in fast break points.
GAMECHANGER
The Gamecocks put the game away and stretched their lead to 19 points at 60-41 after holding Texas A&M scoreless throughout the final 3:59 of the third period. The Aggies scored just six points in the quarter.
KEY STAT
Junior guard Bianca Cuevas-Moore and Carolina were active on the defensive end Thursday against the Aggies. The Gamecocks totaled 13 steals, as they boasted double-digits thefts for the third-straight game.
NOTABLES
- Carolina junior forward A’ja Wilson has averaged 24.7 points and 10.3 boards per game over her last three contests against Texas A&M.
- Bianca Cuevas-Moore’s six steals were the most by a Gamecock in a game this season. She has finished a game with three or more steals four times in her junior season.
- Carolina’s 93.8 percent shooting (15-of-16) from the free throw line Thursday was its highest ever under head coach Dawn Staley.
- Guard Kaela Davis grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds against the Aggies. It was the second time the junior totaled double-digit boards in a game this season.
UP NEXT
Carolina closes out the regular season on Sun., Feb. 26, at home against No. 22/- Kentucky. It will be Senior Day for the Gamecocks, who will honor center Alaina Coates and guard Tiffany Davis in a ceremony prior to the contest. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m., and the game will air on ESPNU.
