South Carolina women's basketball: The 3-2-1 - Clutch players, burning questions, and a favorite play folling the loss to Texas
We look at the clutch players, burning questions, and a favorite play after South Carolina split its games against Georgia and Texas this weekend.
Three Clutch Players
MiLaysia Fulwiley
Vs Georgia: 25 minutes, 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, block
Vs Texas: 21 minutes, 13 points, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 rebounds
Fulwiley led the Gamecocks in scoring in both games. Against Texas she looked like the player who won SEC tournament MVP against LSU last season: the fastest, most athletic player on both ends of the court. If she hadn’t missed four minutes in the fourth quarter with pain in her arm, I think South Carolina would have won the game.
Chloe Kitts
Vs Georgia: 22 minutes, 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, block, steal
Vs Texas: 24 minutes, 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Kitts continues to be, possibly, South Carolina’s most reliable player. She never stops hustling, even when she’s at a significant size disadvantage like she was against Texas.
Tessa Johnson
Vs Georgia: 23 minutes, 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, block
Vs Texas: 18 minutes, 7 points, 3 rebounds, steal
Johnson broke out of her brief slump against Georgia. She missed the game-tying layup at Texas, but she made several crucial plays to get the Gamecock in that position to begin with.
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Two Burning Questions
1. Who is South Carolina’s crunch-time lineup?
Quick, which five players do you want on the floor when you absolutely need a basket? Dawn Staley went with Raven Johnson, Te-Hina Paopao, Tessa Johnson, and Sania Feagin against Texas. She said she wanted to give Texas a different look, and it did result in a decent layup look for Tessa. But where was Fulwiley? Where was Joyce Edwards? Where was Chloe Kitts?
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But who do you take out? South Carolina’s top eight players all have an argument for being on the court in that situation because they each bring something unique that could make a difference.
The Gamecocks work on end-game situations in practice (although Staley said they probably need to work on the four-guard lineup more). Staley and the coaching staff know what has worked and what they want to do. I’m not second-guessing. But it would be nice to have a more defined crunch-time lineup.
2. How badly is South Carolina going to beat Florida on Thursday?
The last thing the struggling Gators want to see is a motivated, ticked-off Gamecock squad. It could get ugly in a hurry.
One Favorite Play
Anything you can do, I can do better. Chloe Kitts’ tapped pass to a cutting Joyce Edwards for a layup would have probably gotten the nod anyway.
But the fact that Collin Murray-Boyles made a similar touch pass a week early made it even nicer.
