C
ChrisWellbaum
Guest
South Carolina routed SOuth Dakota 71-42 behind balanced offense and stifling defense.
- The big concern is obviously Raven Johnson's injury. If you missed it, Johnson was on defense and she clipped her right foot on a Coyotes' foot, which caused her to take an awkward step and her left knee buckled. She was in a lot of pain and you could hear her screaming on the broadcast. Johnson returned to the bench with one of those large braces they use to limit movement. She will be examined by doctors when the Gamecocks get back to Columbia. I won't speculate on the injury, but it's hard to imagine she won't miss time. The bad news is that point guard is probably the thinnest position on th eroster - it's really just Destanni Henderson and Johnson. The good news is that South Carolina was in this situation last year, so it's not brand new. Also, Destiny Littleton has looked good off the bench this season, and Eniya Russell played well after Johnson was injured. Through in Zia Cooke and the three aren't point guards, but they have been solid filling in at times this season.
- Statistically there wasn't much difference offensively between game one and game two, but it's amazing how much smoother offense looks with 18 assists. Only ten baskets were unassisted, and a bunch of those were offensive putbacks. With the way the Gamecocks rebound, those are de facto assists. The concern, once again, was turnovers. The Coyotes did some unusual things on defense (different zone looks) that contributed, but still - not good.
- All that passing is hurting Aliyah Boston's player of the year candidacy. She only played 16 minutes and again failed to crack double digits. Throught two games, it seems that Dawn Staley wants to use Kamilla Cardoso a lot in the first half to keep Boston fresh for the fourth quarter. But when you're up 30 in the fourth quarter, Boston never gets back in the game. There was a beautiful pass form Cardoso to a cutting Boston for a layup to get everyone excited, though.
- Bottom line, this was a really good win in a classic trap game. South Carolina was coming off a huge, emotional win and they have to turn right around and play another good team. South Dakota is a very good team, but isn't a big name team to get the juices flowing, and there wasn't a big crowd. Classic trap game. And even up 21 after three quarters, the past two seasons South Carolina let South Dakota claw back into the game. This year they slammed the door with that big run to start the fourth (with mostly reserves in the game).
Edited to add - Something I noticed rewatching the game, even after everyone went back to the bench, Henny stayed near Johnson after she was injured and lying on the court. It was a little thing but a sign of leadership.
- The big concern is obviously Raven Johnson's injury. If you missed it, Johnson was on defense and she clipped her right foot on a Coyotes' foot, which caused her to take an awkward step and her left knee buckled. She was in a lot of pain and you could hear her screaming on the broadcast. Johnson returned to the bench with one of those large braces they use to limit movement. She will be examined by doctors when the Gamecocks get back to Columbia. I won't speculate on the injury, but it's hard to imagine she won't miss time. The bad news is that point guard is probably the thinnest position on th eroster - it's really just Destanni Henderson and Johnson. The good news is that South Carolina was in this situation last year, so it's not brand new. Also, Destiny Littleton has looked good off the bench this season, and Eniya Russell played well after Johnson was injured. Through in Zia Cooke and the three aren't point guards, but they have been solid filling in at times this season.
- Statistically there wasn't much difference offensively between game one and game two, but it's amazing how much smoother offense looks with 18 assists. Only ten baskets were unassisted, and a bunch of those were offensive putbacks. With the way the Gamecocks rebound, those are de facto assists. The concern, once again, was turnovers. The Coyotes did some unusual things on defense (different zone looks) that contributed, but still - not good.
- All that passing is hurting Aliyah Boston's player of the year candidacy. She only played 16 minutes and again failed to crack double digits. Throught two games, it seems that Dawn Staley wants to use Kamilla Cardoso a lot in the first half to keep Boston fresh for the fourth quarter. But when you're up 30 in the fourth quarter, Boston never gets back in the game. There was a beautiful pass form Cardoso to a cutting Boston for a layup to get everyone excited, though.
- Bottom line, this was a really good win in a classic trap game. South Carolina was coming off a huge, emotional win and they have to turn right around and play another good team. South Dakota is a very good team, but isn't a big name team to get the juices flowing, and there wasn't a big crowd. Classic trap game. And even up 21 after three quarters, the past two seasons South Carolina let South Dakota claw back into the game. This year they slammed the door with that big run to start the fourth (with mostly reserves in the game).
Edited to add - Something I noticed rewatching the game, even after everyone went back to the bench, Henny stayed near Johnson after she was injured and lying on the court. It was a little thing but a sign of leadership.
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