South Carolina women's basketball blows out Missouri

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#1 South Carolina blew out Missouri 83-45 to set up a showdown with UConn on Sunday.

For about two minutes, South Carolina looked like it might be in trouble against Missouri, a rival that has often had an inexplicable edge against the Gamecocks. Starting center Kamilla Cardoso was playing for the Brazilian national team and they had only nine active players. 

Missouri hit a pair of quick three-pointers to take a 6-0 lead with 7:49 left, giving South Carolina its largest home deficit of the season. 

The next 38 minutes were all South Carolina. A three-point play by Ashlyn Watkins, who started in place of Cardoso, sparked a 7-0 run. It was the first of three 7-0 runs by South Carolina in the first quarter. 

South Carolina’s lead was double-digits by the end of the first quarter. The Gamecocks started the second quarter with back-to-back baskets by Chloe Kitts and then finished it on an 11-0 run that gave them a 48-21 halftime lead. 

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“They play hard. They play really connected. Just a really special group,” Robin Pingeton said. “I told our freshmen this is probably the toughest thing they’re going to go through.” 

The Tigers were without leading scorer Hayley Frank, who missed her second consecutive game due to injury. Without Frank, the Tigers didn’t have the offensive firepower to try to keep up.

South Carolina shot 48% for the game while holding Missouri to 28%. The Gamecocks hit 6-16 from three and the Tigers shot 9-27, making more three-pointers than two-pointers (six).

“They were locked in,” Dawn Staley said. “It was a clear picture of how we wanted to play for our preparation.”

It was Watkins and MiLaysia Fulwiley who took over in the first quarter. Watkins made her third straight start and looked as focused and energized as she has at any point in her career. She had seven points, three steals, and two rebounds in just the first quarter.

Watkins and Fulwiley seemed to have a sixth sense for where the other was on the floor. Fulwiley sensed the slow start and had nine first-quarter points, and the pair combined to score 16 of the Gamecocks first 18 points.

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“I sensed it a little bit. My team, that’s what they look for me to do,” Fulwiley said. “That’s my expectation is to get out there and do what I do best.”

Fulwiley finished with a game-high 19 points to go with six steals and four assists. Chloe Kitts added 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and a career-high five blocks. Sania Feagin had 11 points and Bree Hall had 10 points. Watkins finished with nine points, seven rebounds, three blocks, and three steals.

“They just bring in another All-American,” Pingeton said. “They’ve got a lot of players on that roster that are elite and it’s just a next-man-up mentality.”

Grace Slaughter, Ashton Judd, and Abbey Schreacke each had 12 to lead Missouri.

Related: South Carolina-Missouri box score

Notes:

Before the game, South Carolina announced that freshman forward Sahnya Jah is out indefinitely because of conduct detrimental to the team. … The South Carolina softball team was recognized at the second quarter media timeout. … South Carolina’s previous largest home deficit of the season was five points, against South Dakota State and Mississippi State. … All nine Gamecocks played and scored. … South Carolina had 11 blocks. … The Gamecocks had 28 points off 21 Tiger turnovers, and had 15 steals. The Tigers did not have a single point off 11 Gamecock turnovers. … South Carolina was plus-14 rebounding. … Dawn Staley’s outfit: Staley wore a brown and black hoodie. … Announced attendance was 15,236. … South Carolina’s next game is Sunday against UConn.

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