Everything Dawn Staley said after South Carolina's 90-49 Texas A&M win

The Gamecocks defeated Texas A&M 90-49 at Colonial Life Arena Thursday. South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley spoke to the media after the win.

Here’s everything she had to say.

Tempo seemed a lot more fluid, was that because of area concentration or just how the game comes?

“Well we wanted to get off to a quicker start, better start, and we did for the most part. I thought we we held certain people that we put in the game came in and impacted it, no matter how much time or how little time we’re just working towards just elevating, elevating the end of our bench. I know I had full confidence in them. They just really need more more experience out there.”

How would you evaluate the physicality of your defense?

“I think we were locked in, and I think we were we understood that they’re very physical defensive team. They’re very they they cut your vision down. They make it hard for you to to make catches. So I mean, most teams that that play that style, if you give it back to them, it can cause some disruption. So I think both Joni [Taylor] and I are defensive minded, so it was probably the team that’s going to be able to crack the defensive code of the other one and put some points on the scoreboard. And fortunately for us, it was, it was us.”

Did you like what you saw from your post players who had to work a little more with Ashlyn Watkins out?

“I did. I did, I did, I did. I think, you know, it’s going to be similar to that. Probably could have gotten Sakima in the game a little bit sooner, because she’s just more experienced. But she’s been out, and Adhels has been working. She’s been working her butt off. So I wanted to give her the nod, so put her in in the first into the first quarter, and I think Maryam is coming. There are spurts in which she looks pretty good, and then there’s spurs where she looks rusty, and it’s just all about getting her some some valuable minutes. And tonight wasn’t was a plus for us.”

How has Maryam handled this switch of transferring from Arkansas and get learning the new system, but also having to sit for a long time?

“She’s very, very nice. Like super nice. Part of me wants her to fight, a fight, a little fight, call me a name or something, but she’s just not like that. So she knows she’s nice, she knows, but she also knows that what type of situation she was coming in, if she’s able to shoot that ball, like she’s gonna help us, along with all the other stuff, like she’s tough, she’s tough, like she’s not going to back down. I do think she can score the basketball, including outside of including outside of it. She could put it on the floor. She can get to the basket. She gets rebound. She’s got a certain toughness about her. I mean, the only thing that’s lacking is, is playing experience. And you know, Ashlyn is out, she’ll get something she can either extend it with her play, or get back in line behind Adhel and take one.

[USC-Texas WBB: Win tickets, parking]

Coach Taylor was saying in her press conference that she really appreciates what you’ve done with this game due to you. What does it mean to you that another coach, even after a 30 point loss, can come in here and appreciate what you’ve done for the game?

“Yeah, with Joni, Joni’s family. I mean, I consider her family. Her husband worked with us for a lot of years, but I think we know she represented our country as the assistant coach on the Olympic team. So, you know, for us black coaches, we really support each other. We know in this space, it’s hard, it’s hard. It’s hard to keep our jobs. It’s hard to it’s hard. So when you see somebody that’s that’s trying to elevate we’re unafraid to share that. And I appreciate Joni so much. When we talk, we talk often. We don’t, not just when we are about to play each other, when we talk about moving our game. I mean, she’s on, she’s on. She’s on a lot of committees that I wouldn’t dare be on. So she’s moving the game forward in that way as well. She’s, she’s in the trenches on those committees trying to move our game forward in that I appreciate her and I appreciate our friendship even more on this side of women.”

With Ashlyn out how much of these rotations is point and production dependent, but also mixing in personnel and kind of what they bring as a forward that separates them from the other forward?

“I mean, it’s all of that, you know. I mean, Joyce made me play her more because of how she came out of play. I mean, we’ll probably lean, we’ll probably lean on the three that’s that’s played the most minutes for us, and Joyce and [Sania] Feagin and and Chloe. And then we’ll bring everybody else along. It’s bottom here. There it is, about production, if any one of the three meaning Sakima Adhel or Maryam play. Well, I’m going to leave them out there. They’re going to play extended minutes. If they don’t, then I gotta, I gotta pull them. I think we pulled Maryam. Was it third quarter? So, I mean, that was, that was enough, but I let her go a little bit longer than I probably wanted to let her go, but she needs the experience. So, she can watch film and she can see where there are areas where she can improve in those in those moments, but at some point, I do think that Maryam is going to have a breakout. I do. We’re just waiting for it.”

What have you seen from Joyce’s development as a freshman?

“I think Joyce has probably personally elevated her game. I mean, her practices are a little there’s a little more oath to him, although she’s she, she plays that way regardless. But I think Joyce feels the absence of of Ashlyn. And although I didn’t say, ‘Give us more’, she’s taken upon herself to give more and to do more and to prepare herself for moments like these. I mean, she she was relentless on the boards. She was engaged offensively and defensively, and, I mean, she’s halfway through her freshman year, so I think she’s really getting to know, how to play, how to really play at this level and make a big impact.”

Is there where you wanted to be going into the stretch of the season?

“I like where we are. I do. I mean, probably Ashlyn injury freed us up a little bit. I think we play a little more loose. And I mean, I like it. I mean, I don’t, I don’t. I’m not fretting the five games to 16 days at all, like our team is prepared to play Win, lose or draw. We’re going, we’re gonna play we’re gonna play hard, we’ll give our best effort. That doesn’t mean that we’re gonna play perfectly, but we’re gonna, we’re gonna muck it up to where other teams can’t play perfectly either. It’s gonna be a battle, and we look forward to the battle”

Following up, why does Ashlyn’s injury free y’all up?

“They know that there’s a lot more playing time out there. The minutes Ashlyn plays in and when you’re needed, sometimes it frees you up, you know, like we needed Joyce and Chloe and Feagin. And Feagin hit a three. Chloe was calm. Joyce is doing her thing, because they know they have to do that, and they’re highly motivated women. They want to win. And they know losing Ashlyn it’s a big void to fill. So you know, little by little, they know that they don’t have to. They know that there isn’t someone like an Ashlyn coming in. So, I had to play a little bit longer play Chloe, probably well into the seven minutes into the first quarter. I mean, I’m gonna lean on her, because she’s more experienced. Had to take fading out because she picked up an early foul, and then she was going after shots like she does. She didn’t have a file, so I had to get her out for Joyce. And when Joyce is playing that way, or any one of our posters playing that way, they’ll play extended minutes. By then, Ashlyn would have come into the game at some point to take some of those minutes. So free, like free, under free, you know.”

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