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South Carolina women's basketball: The 3-2-1 - Clutch players, burning questions and a favorite play from week two of SEC play

On3 imageby:Chris Wellbaum•about 10 hours•

ChrisWellbaum

MiLaysia Fulwiley and Joyce Edwards celebrate (Photo by Katie Dugan)
MiLaysia Fulwiley and Joyce Edwards celebrate (Photo by Katie Dugan)

South Carolina picked up a couple of wins against the SEC’s two Texas teams last week. Look back at the clutch players, burning questions, and favorite play from a big week.

Three Clutch Players
Sania Feagin
Vs Texas A&M: 15 minutes, 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks
Vs Texas: 30 minutes, 8 points, 9 rebounds, 6 blocks, 3 assists

Nobody has stepped up more since Ashlyn Watkins’ injury than Feagin. The most impressive part is that for two-and-a-half seasons, Feagin was nearly unplayable because of her poor defense. That changed about this time last season, and now she has become a defensive specialist. 

“That’s what we were trying to get from Feagin for three years now,” Dawn Staley said. “Her freshman year, she coasted. She just let Aliyah (Boston) do what she needed to do and then she coasted a little bit more. But now I think it’s just her talent, as well.”

Bree Hall
Vs Texas A&M: 25 minutes, 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Vs Texas: 22 minutes, 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists

I’ve gotten a lot of questions asking what’s wrong with Breezy. Nothing, I keep saying, except that Tessa Johnson has stolen some of her minutes. Hall played 26.1 minutes last season, down to 21.6 this season. The last two games prove that point. She’s still Big Shot Breezy, knocking down almost 44% of her threes. Hall also reminded everyone she is still a great defender, and she’s averaging a career-high 3.2 rebounds, which is important with Watkins out. 

Joyce Edwards
Vs Texas A&M: 22 minutes, 19 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists
Vs Texas: 18 minutes, 10 points, 2 rebounds, 

It was hard to choose between Edwards and MiLaysia Fulwiley, who both had really good weeks. But I chose Edwards so I could talk about how the Texas game showed her growth. 

Edwards didn’t play particularly well against the Longhorns. They were able to get her off-balance in the post, she got in early foul trouble (they were bad calls, but she still had to sit), and she shot under .500 for the first time since the Purdue game, even going 2-4 on free throws. But Edwards still finished with 10 points and even ran point in the fourth quarter to break the Texas press. That’s what great players do – they make an impact even on off days.

[Win tickets: South Carolina-LSU WBB]

Two Burning Questions
1. Is Fulwiley back?
After an inconsistent non-conference slate, Fulwiley is averaging 12.8 points in SEC play, with a pair of 17-point games. It’s not so much the scoring, she is defending again, averaging 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.3 blocks. Fulwiley can be an elite defender when she is committed, and she’s as good as there is at turning defense into offense. Fulwiley was committed to defense last postseason, and that turned out pretty well. Hopefully, she’s back to that mindset now.

2. Can South Carolina keep this up?
It’s one thing to rally around the absence of one of your top players for a couple of games. It’s another thing to keep playing that way for three months. Only time will tell if they can keep up this level of focus and intensity.

One Favorite Play
This was easy. It was the Fulwiley magic against Texas A&M. It’s got everything: a no-look layup, a behind-the-back dribble, and an and-one. But the most impressive part is probably that Fulwiley started out on the opposite baseline, behind every other player, and beat them all to the other end.

I’m also going to cheat and include Feagin’s block on Justice Carlton against Texas as an honorable mention. She swatted the ball so hard that Carlton fell down twice, and then added a little sneer at the end.

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