Skip to main content
Join
Team Avatar
South Carolina

Dawn Staley identifies pro, con of South Carolina crowd in big game vs. LSU

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby:Grant Grubbs•01/24/25•

grant_grubbs_

NCAA Womens Basketball: Texas A&M at South Carolina
Jan 9, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley directs her team against the Texas A&M Aggies in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

All eyes were on No. 2 South Carolina and No. 5 LSU on Friday as they squared off inside Colonial Life Arena. Ahead 51-41 entering the fourth quarter, Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley praised her team’s defensive efforts.

“That’s what we do. I mean, it’s what we have to do,” Staley said. “It’s what we have to do in order for us to put [ourselves] in situations where we can win basketball games only scoring 50 or 40 points. You’re not going to win a whole lot of basketball games scoring that amount. So you got to defend.”

Of course, it’s easier to defend when you have thousands of fans cheering you on. Nonetheless, Dawn Staley believes the crowd can actually have a negative effect when the Gamecocks are on offense. She explained this perspective before the final frame.

“When you get this crowd involved, sometimes it can be a detriment because we want to keep feeding the crowd. But we got to play disciplined basketball,” Staley said. “I thought we took some ill-advised shots.

“I thought we made some ill-advised passes all because we’re trying to keep this crowd involved. We got to play basketball, make better decisions and be more disciplined.”

In spite of any distractions from the crowd, South Carolina’s defense ultimately proved too deadly for LSU. The Tigers only scored 19 total points between the second and third quarters, and the Gamecocks ran away with a 66-56 victory.

LSU shot a poor 23-77 from the field and 3-14 from beyond the arc against South Carolina’s relentless defense. The Gamecocks squeezed 17 turnovers out of the Tigers and scored 22 points off their TOs.

When LSU didn’t turn the ball over, it had trouble finding shots. South Carolina tallied a whopping 11 blocks in the victory. With the win, South Carolina improved to 20-1 on the season and secured sole possession of first place in the SEC standings.

South Carolina’s only loss this season came against UCLA on Nov. 24. The Bruins’ 77 points in the win are the most a team has scored against the Gamecocks this season.

South Carolina is only giving up 55.1 points per game this season, the 15th-least in the nation. With a loss already in the rearview mirror, South Carolina will look to add to its résumé during conference play.