Third-quarter scuffle sparks South Carolina over Maryland

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A third-quarter dust-up sparked a South Carolina run and the Gamecocks pulled away from Maryland for an 81-56 win.

South Carolina led 46-38 with under four minutes to play in the third quarter, but the Gamecocks struggled to pull away from Maryland.

Bri McDaniel was aggressively guarding Kierra Fletcher as Fletcher brought the ball up the court. McDaniel was called for a foul, and after the whistle, both players began shouting at each other. Teammates ran in to break things up, including Kamilla Cardoso.

Trying to separate the scrum, Cardoso pushed Gia Cooke. That earned a dead-ball foul, along with offsetting technical fouls on Fletcher and McDaniel. Staley was angry with how the fouls were handed out, and South Carolina returned to the court fired up.

South Carolina-Maryland game analysis by Chris Wellbaum

Fletcher made both of her free throws, and then Abby Meyers made one of hers. Laeticia Amihere forced a turnover that led to a Layup for Cardoso. Zia Cooke hit a three in transition, and then an Amihere block led to a Cardoso putback. That gave the Gamecocks their biggest lead of the game, 55-39, and Maryland called a timeout. 

Cooke stole a pass and drew a foul at the end of the third quarter. Cardoso scored on another layup to start the fourth quarter, and then Aliyah Boston converted a three-point play to cap a 21-5 run that spanned barely four minutes of game time.

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Maryland played without 6-3 Diamond Miller, who injured her knee against George Mason. Miller warmed up but did not play, leaving Maryland extremely undersized against South Carolina.

The Terrapins tried to keep the pace slow and used a zone defense to try to keep the ball on the perimeter. The results were mixed. Early on, South Carolina was patient and still figured out ways to get Boston the ball in the paint. That continued when the Gamecocks went to their bench, and South Carolina’s second unit helped push the Gamecocks out to a 13-point second-quarter lead. 

But South Carolina started to get impatient and stopped getting good shot attempts. The Gamecocks went the last 4:44 of the half without a field goal, and Maryland pulled back within six points at halftime.

Cooke led the Gamecocks with 18 points. She only shot 4-14 but was 4-9 from three and 6-7 from the line. She also had three assists and two steals. But it was the Gamecocks’ frontcourt that dominated the game.

Boston had her second double-double in as many games with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Cardoso had 13 points and five rebounds, with nine of her points coming after the third-quarter scuffle. The pair started the game a combined 13-13 from the floor before each missed her last shot attempt. 

Amihere added 10 points and eight rebounds, and South Carolina had a 55-32 rebounding edge. The Gamecocks were also plus-20 in points in the paint and plus-11 in second-chance points. They blocked 11 shots.

Abby Meyers led Maryland with 21 points. 

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Notes:

Before the game, the WNBA held its 2023 draft lottery. The Indiana Fever won the lottery and the right to draft Boston, the expected top pick. … South Carolina has won 15 consecutive games against ranked opponents, dating back to the 2021 Final Four. … Raven Johnson started the game at point guard, but Fletcher started the second half. Johnson was 0-6 with three rebounds and two assists. Fletcher was 0-5 shooting with three rebounds and three assists but made two free throws. … Brea Beal led the Gamecocks with four assists. She also had nine points and eight rebounds. … South Carolina turned the ball over 20 times, but only allowed 11 points off turnovers. The Gamecocks had 14 points off 13 Maryland turnovers. … Aliyah Boston braids report: Boston continued with the purple braids with electric blue tips she had for the season-opener. … Dawn Staley fit report: All black with a Brittney Griner t-shirt. … Announced attendance was 9,244. By the end of the game a “Game-Cocks!” cheer dominated the XFINITY Center. … South Carolina’s next game is Thursday at Clemson.

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