Gamecocks Dominate ETSU In Season Opener
The South Carolina Gamecocks are the undisputed queens of women's college hoops after they secured their second national title in program history last season.
Now, the challenge for head coach Dawn Staley and her players is to try and prove that they can stay on the throne they currently claim. Based on their absolute dismantling of the East Tennessee State Buccaneers on Monday night, the Gamecocks are certainly not resting on any laurels.
How did the thrashing of their first opponent take place?
Defense, Defense, And More Defense
Anyone who has followed South Carolina's women's basketball program for any length of time knows that the Gamecocks hang their hat on the defensive end, and Dawn Staley's players showed this both ways, old and new, on Monday night.
South Carolina's length will be a problem again for almost every opponent they'll face this year. Through the defensive play of their frontcourt led by Aliyah Boston, they accumulated more than double the number of defensive rebounds the Buccaneers had and racked up nine total blocks.
However, the Gamecocks also managed to shut down East Tennessee State through other methods, particularly their on-ball defense on the perimeter. Spearheaded by the effort of sophomore guard Raven Johnson, South Carolina totaled a whopping 13 steals as a team. Multiple Gamecocks were active in getting their hands on the basketball, which affected ETSU's offensive rhythm and led to numerous transition baskets.
Hard-Earned 2nd Chance Opportunities
The other facet of this contest that stuck out to me was how much the Gamecocks fought to maintain possession when they did miss shots. For most teams beginning their title defense against an overmatched opponent, one of the biggest concerns can be how much effort the superior team puts into the little things, like fighting for rebounds on offense.
South Carolina didn't come out sluggish in this regard, as they reeled in eighteen offensive boards, two more than the Buccaneers secured on that same end of the floor. Victaria Saxton was a massive catalyst behind this, as she used her experience and basketball I.Q. to continuously put herself in an excellent position to get the ball back for her team.
Respectively, East Tennessee State isn't the strongest barometer in gauging how this year's squad will look. Still, the hunger is evident, which means Dawn Staley's team may already be winning half the battle in their quest to win back-to-back national titles.
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