South Carolina women's basketball routs Arkansas behind Ashlyn Watkins' career game
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Kamilla Cardoso returned to the lineup, and South Carolina got a career game from Ashlyn Watkins in a 98-61 win over Arkansas.
South Carolina won its ninth consecutive game over Arkansas the same way it won the last eight: by dominating the paint and limiting Arkansas’ open shots.
South Carolina shot 60.6% from the floor, the second straight game shooting at least 60%. The Gamecocks held Arkansas to 33.3% shooting and just 8-41 from three and dominated the glass 53-21. South Carolina had 56 points in the paint and 23 assists on 40 baskets.
Cardoso sat out the last two games for rest but returned on Thursday. She started but only played 16 minutes as South Carolina was able to limit her minutes. Cardoso finished with 11 points and three rebounds.
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Sania Feagin got her first career start alongside Cardoso and finished with seven points, a career-high nine rebounds, and three assists. Chloe Kitts came off the bench for 10 points, five rebounds, and two assists. She scored six points in her first four minutes on the court to provide a nice spark off the bench.
But Watkins stole the show. She scored a career-high 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in just 21 minutes. It is her fifth double-double in the last nine games.
“I like that I’m looking to score and I’m looking to get my teammates involved and just being more active everywhere and communicating to everybody,” Watkins said on the SEC Network. “You do extra work (and) it will come out during games.”
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Arkansas led 15-13 at the first media timeout, but then MiLaysia Fulwiley, who scored 17 points, sparked an 8-0 run that put South Carolina ahead for good. She set up a fast break basket by Watkins and a putback by Feagin, and then scored back-to-back baskets.
South Carolina led by 14 in the third quarter and then put the game out of reach with a 10-0 run. Five different players scored during the run, capped by a three-point play by Watkins. Another 10-0 run in the fourth quarter, after both teams had conceded the outcome, pushed the lead past 30.
Tessa Johnson scored 12 points on 4-5 shooting from three and South Carolina’s bench outscored Arkansas 64-6.
Maryam Dauda scored a career-high 19 points. Samara Spencer and Carly Keats had 11, and Makayla Daniels added 10. But Saylor Poffenbarger struggled with foul trouble and only had four points and one rebound, and with Taliah Scott still out, Arkansas wore down throughout the game.
RELATED: South Carolina-Arkansas Box Score
Notes:
South Carolina was issued an administrative technical before the game for mistakenly listing Ashlyn Watkins (2) as a starter instead of Sania Feagin (20). Samara Spencer made both free throws to give Arkansas a 2-0 lead before the opening tip. … South Carolina was also hit with an administrative technical earlier this season for incorrectly listing Sakima Walker’s number. … All 10 active Gamecocks played and scored at least four points. … Raven Johnson had four points, seven assists, and six rebounds. Te-Hina Paopao had eight points, five assists, and four rebounds. … Dawn Staley’s outfit: Staley wore a black sweater over a MiLaysia Fulwiley t-shirt. … Announced attendance was 3,891. … South Carolina’s next game is Sunday against Tennessee.
