Gamecocks Shoot Past Temple, 88-60
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 25/- South Carolina women’s basketball cruised past Temple 88-60 at Colonial Life Arena on Friday night. The Gamecocks (7-4) hit a season-high 15 3-pointers, while the defense allowed just six points in the third quarter to put the game out of reach entering the final period.
Every starter for the Gamecocks contributed on the offensive end in the win. Te’a Cooper led Carolina with 16 points of 6-of-8 shooting, including matching her career high with four 3s in just 19 minutes. Tyasha Harris and Doniyah Cliney joined Cooper as double-figure scorers – Harris finishing with 12 on 5-of-10 shooting and Cliney adding 11 on a perfect 4-of-4 night from the floor.
South Carolina began the game aiming to do damage from the 3-point line, sinking its first three shots from distance to build a slight lead on the visiting Owls. Cooper highlighted the opening quarter with a steal that led to a coast-to-coast layup followed by a triple just two possessions later to help keep the Gamecocks in front. Destanni Henderson made her second-straight start and sank two shots from beyond the arc to help Carolina hold a 25-15 lead after one.
The lead grew to as much as 13 after Carolina connected on three-straight shots in the middle of the second quarter, including two from beyond the arc. South Carolina finished 8-of-17 from distance in the first half, with six different Gamecocks connecting on at least one three. Cooper’s eight points, four rebounds and three assists paced the Gamecocks to a 44-35 lead as they went to the locker room while Cliney added nine off the bench.
Carolina picked up right where it left off in the second half. The Gamecocks hit five 3-pointers in the third quarter, including Mikiah Herbert Harrigan hitting her second 3 of the season. The defense stepped up in the third quarter, allowing just six Temple points and just two field goals on 17 shots. The Gamecock defense led to a dynamic offensive attack, going on a 21-1 run to help extend the lead to 71-41 at the end of the quarter.
In the fourth the Carolina lead grew to as much as 34 with many Gamecock reserves in action. Freshman forward Victaria Saxton scored seven of her nine points in the fourth quarter to help the Garnet and Black coast to its third-straight victory.
GAMECHANGER
South Carolina finished with a new season-high 15 3s in the win. Nine Gamecocks finished with at least one 3-pointer with four connecting multiple times from beyond the arc.
QUOTABLE DAWN STALEY
“[The 3s are] best coming out of transition when we’re pushing the ball, spreading the floor and beating the defense down the floor. When we have great ball movement, we can also get our feet set and knock them down. With our players, we just try to get them to take balanced 3s and not take rushed 3s.”
KEY STAT
Carolina hit the glass hard in the dominating win, collecting a season-high 49 rebounds with 12 of the 13 participating Gamecocks grabbing at least one.
NOTABLES
- The Gamecocks’ starting lineup of Cooper, Henderson, Herbert Harrigan, Jennings and Harris is the sixth different opening lineup Staley has used this season.
- Saxton matched her season high in points with nine, including seven in the fourth quarter that started with an and-one in the paint.
- Staley got the win in her 600th career game as a coach, coincidentally with all 600 games coming as the leader of the two programs on the court tonight.
- Carolina finished 11-of-12 from the free throw line, hitting 30 straight dating back to Sunday’s game at Purdue before missing the final free throw of the night.
- As a team the Gamecocks finished 14-of-28 from the 3-point line, pushing their total to 29 made 3s over the past two games at home in just 59 attempts.
- In the third quarter South Carolina held Temple to 2-of-17 from the floor, the second-lowest field goal percentage allowed in a single quarter in program history.
UP NEXT
The Gamecocks (7-4) will play their final game of the 2018 calendar year against Furman at home on Dec. 30 at 2:00 p.m. Carolina will begin 2019 with Texas A&M on the road to open SEC play on Jan. 3 at 9:00 p.m. ET.
