COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Te-Hina Paopao scored 21 points with five 3-pointers and Raven Johnson added 10 points and 12 rebounds as No. 1 South Carolina pulled away early to win its fourth straight over No. 11 UConn 83-65 on Sunday.
The Gamecocks (23-0) won their 54th consecutive game at home and their second one this week without leading scorer and rebounder Kamilla Cardoso, who is playing in an Olympic qualifier in her home country of Brazil.
It did not matter who coach Dawn Staley put on the court, it was too much for the Huskies (19-5) in this one.
Ashlyn Watkins finished with 15 points, nine boards and three blocked shots while teammate Chloe Kitts had 14 points for the Gamecocks.
UConn hung tight early on and was down just 11-9 after Ashlynn Shade’s 3-pointer midway through the opening period.
But the South Carolina took flight after that, using a 24-11 run over the next 10 minutes to go up by double digits. UConn never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way as South Carolina moved to 6-0 this season against ranked opponents.
South Carolina’s smothering defense was a big factor, fronting Bueckers throughout. The UConn star finished with 20 points, but on 8-of-20 shooting.
Aaliyah Edwards had 20 points and 11 rebounds for UConn.
The Huskies shot just 5 of 19 (26%) in the opening quarter as South Carolina steadily built its lead.
Watkins brought the sold-out crowd to its feet in the first quarter with a chase-down block of streaking KK Arnold, who looked like she had a clear lane to a layup.
Notables
- With the win over the Huskies, South Carolina tallied its fourth consecutive victory over UConn and its fifth in the last six games.
- The South Carolina defense made its presence known in the opening quarter, holding the Huskies to just 26.3 percent shooting (5-of-19). UConn shot just 36.6 percent for the game after entering the contest third in the nation in field goal percentage at .514.
- Despite missing center Kamilla Cardoso, the Gamecocks still won battles in the paint and the glass, outscoring UConn 34-22 inside and out-rebounding the Huskies 46-37.
- Te-Hina Paopao had a monstrous first half, scoring 16 of her 21 points, finishing with five made 3s for the game – the most by a Gamecock this season.
- Ashlyn Watkins had her 12th game in double figures and fourth in the last five outings, putting up 15 points along with nine boards, all while grabbing two steals and a team-high three blocks.
- Chloe Kitts rounded out the first half going a perfect 3-for-3 from the field, tallying six of her 14 points in the second quarter in just eight minutes on the court to add to a 13-5 run by the Gamecocks.
- Raven Johnson had a career night on the glass, pulling down a career-high 12 rebounds alongside 10 points, with eight coming in the third quarter alone to earn her first-ever career double-double.
