South Carolina women's basketball: MiLaysia Fulwiley leads 100-55 win over Rutgers

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#6 South Carolina beat Rutgers in an exhibition game on Sunday. The Gamecocks scored the first 21 points of the game and cruised to the win.

Kamilla Cardoso led South Carolina with 17 points, but freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley stole the show. She sank her first shot attempt from behind the arc and then fed Cardoso for an easy layup. A steal and layup put the crowd in the palm of her hand even before she hit a 30-foot buzzer-beater to end the first half. 

“It didn’t feel real at first,” Fulwiley said. “When I first got in the game and I made my first three I was like ‘Oh my god,’ and the crowd went crazy. It was exciting for me and exciting for my family, so I’m just blessed.”

Fulwiley finished with 16 points, six rebounds, five assists, and three steals. She shot 6-13 and 4-9 from three and even played point guard in the fourth quarter. Fulwiley also had five turnovers, which Dawn Staley wants to eliminate.

“Besides the turnovers, I thought she played great,” Staley said. “She played better than she’s practiced. That’s a good quality to see.”

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South Carolina shot 51% for the game and 10-27 from three. The Gamecocks got 23 points off 25 Rutgers turnovers and finished plus-six rebounding. Rutgers shot just 31% from the floor.

The second half got sloppy in a hurry, but South Carolina outscored Rutgers in all four quarters. By the fourth quarter, Staley essentially turned the game over to the freshmen.

“We played fast,” said Tessa Johnson, who had nine points and four steals. “We know that we’re a fast team. We know that a lot of people were questioning how the team would be and I think we set a good base for the season.”

Nobody was quite sure what to expect, but it was an impressive debut for the new-look Gamecocks. They played fast and got the ball to the rim (42 layup attempts) or found open shooters for threes (27 threes). 

“That is still South Carolina,” Rutgers coach Coquese Washington said. “The names and faces change, but they are very talented team and they play hard.”

“I thought it was a good showing,” Staley said. “I thought we got out to a fast start, which is good. I think there was some really great individual play.”

Raven Johnson, Te-Hina Paopao, Bree Hall, Sania Feagin, and Kamilla Cardoso started both halves. Ashlyn Watkins replaced Feagin as the first substitution in each half. Staley said the starting lineup is still in flux, especially after seeing the sluggish start in the third quarter.

“It’s a lineup that we have played not very long. There are just some question marks in our post play, who that person would be,” Staley said. “Sania Feagin started to separate herself from some other people for starting.” 

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The game was dedicated to the memory of Nikki McCray-Penson, who was an assistant coach for both programs. McCray-Penson lost her battle with breast cancer in July, and the game served as a fundraiser for local nonprofit In the Middle. 

McCray’s family attended the game, and both coaches honored McCray. Staley recognized McCray’s son Thomas and announced an education fund for him. Washington joked that McCray always talked about her time at South Carolina. “Actually,” she said, “she talked about y’all too much.”

“This was an absolute joy to be here to be able to do this for Nikki and to do this for Nikki’s family,” Washington said after the game. “The game itself was really secondary.”

Notes:
The players and coaches all wore shirts that said “We love you, Nikki.” … Sahnya Jah was the last Gamecock to enter the game. Tessa Johnson was the last Gamecock to score. … Raven Johnson had seven points, nine assists, four rebounds, and four steals. The nine assists would have been a career-high if the game counted. … South Carolina’s next game is November 6 against Notre Dame in Paris. The home opener is November 12 against Maryland.

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