Gamecocks Cruise by Appalachian State
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 22/24 South Carolina women’s basketball cruised past Appalachian State 80-50 at Colonial Life Arena on Wednesday night. The Gamecocks (5-4) hit a season-high 14 3-pointers, including 12 in the first half, while the defense allowed the Mountaineers just 12 points in the second quarter to put the game out of reach by halftime.
Carolina started fast with an 10-1 run to open the game, which included buckets by four different Gamecocks. The deadeye shooting began in the opening quarter with junior guard Te’a Cooper and senior guard Doniyah Cliney each hitting two in the first 10 minutes. The Gamecocks hit six from long distance to build a 27-15 lead after the first quarter.
The impressive long-distance shooting didn’t slow down in the second period. The Gamecocks matched their six 3s in the opening quarter, all of which were made by different players. Junior guard Tyasha Harris had her hands all over the first-half action, registering six assists with zero turnovers through the first 20 minutes of action, which saw the Gamecocks carry a 53-27 lead into the locker room.
In the second half it was the glass that the Gamecocks controlled. Carolina outrebounded the Mountaineers 25-12 in the final 20 minutes of play, finishing with a total of 14 offensive rebounds that led to a total of 20 second-chance points. Junior forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan scored six of her eight points in the third quarter, helping the Gamecocks reach their largest lead of the game at 38 points. Carolina ended the third quarter with a 36-point lead and coasted to the victory.
The senior duo of Bianca Cuevas-Moore and Alexis Jennings finished a combined perfect 9-of-9 from the floor. Cuevas-Moore led all scorers with 12 off the bench for Carolina while Jennings joined her in double figures with 10 points on a perfect 5-of-5. All 13 Gamecocks played and scored in the win, helping the South Carolina shoot 32-of-59 from the floor and 14-of-28 from the 3-point line.
GAMECHANGER
South Carolina finished with a season-high 14 3s in the win. Six Gamecocks finished with at least one 3-pointer, including Cuevas-Moore with four, a new season high for the redshirt senior.
QUOTABLE DAWN STALEY
“I really liked the ball movement. I think it is more like what we practice. Those extra passes, those skip passes, those moving the defense – having more than one or two passes really breaks a defense down. We get ahead of the possession, and then we don’t let up. We just keep moving the ball, and they can never catch up.”
KEY STAT
The Gamecocks were in a sharing mood on Wednesday night, assisting on 17 of their 20 shots in the first half to help build a 26-point lead by halftime.
NOTABLES
- Cuevas-Moore’s team-leading 12 points made her the sixth different Gamecock to lead the team in scoring this season.
- Cuevas-Moore’s 12 points was her season high as were her four 3-pointers, which were just one shy of her career high of five set against Auburn on Jan. 5, 2017.
- Carolina’s 14 3-pointers tied for the second most made in a single game in the Dawn Staley era, just three shy of the program record of 17.
- The Gamecocks’ 47 rebounds was their most in any game this season.
- Herbert Harrigan notched at least three blocks for the fourth time this season. All of those performances have come at Colonial Life Arena.
- Harris finished with a season-high seven assists in the win and finished with no turnovers in 21 minutes of action.
- Every Gamecock was able to score for the second time this season (ETSU), and every Gamecock connected on at least one field goal for the first time this season.
- South Carolina has won seven consecutive games against the Mountaineers, and hold a 11-5 record all-time, including 6-1 in Columbia.
UP NEXT
The Gamecocks (5-4) will play their next two games on the road, starting with a matchup at Duke on Sun., Dec. 9, at 2 p.m. Carolina then takes on Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., on Sun., Dec. 16, on ESPN2 at 3 p.m.
