Gamecocks Survive A Scare In Starkville
It wasn't the prettiest performance of the season, but as tough as life in the SEC can be, especially on the road, you'll take what you can get. South Carolina secured a win despite their worst shooting performance of the season, holding onto their undefeated record. They will likely remain No. 1 when Monday's national polls come out.
At the end of the first quarter, it was clear that the Gamecocks would have a battle on their hands. The Bulldogs got a hot start in the first ten minutes by scoring 17 points, most of which came in the paint.
The Gamecocks, however, would regain their footing in the second quarter, knocking down consecutive threes in the first couple of minutes to give themselves the lead.
The Gamecocks' defense also did a much better job collectively maintaining a positional advantage, with the guards staying in front of their matchups. At the same time, Carolina's low post defenders became more attentive with passes near the paint, leading to multiple turnovers being forced, especially as they got closer to halftime.
Although South Carolina never relinquished the lead in the second half, their issues from the first quarter shooting the basketball reared their ugly heads again. The Gamecocks made only two baskets on the floor in the third quarter, despite having many chances because of Mississippi State's offensive woes.
The Gamecocks made shots when they needed to. Their fourth-quarter scoring, combined with the rebounding advantage they typically hold over their opponents, pushed the Gamecocks over the hump, pun intended, at the end of the contest.
Compared to South Carolina's last outing against Auburn, there are certainly some things that must be cleaned up, as the Gamecocks had times when they were almost overly aggressive in situations where Mississippi State had the numbers on the defensive end.
They'll also start to see a lot more zone defense thrown at them. For the second conference road game in a row, it was clear that the Gamecocks were thrown out of sorts by a team who made it their mission to make anyone but Aliyah Boston and Kamilla Cardoso beat them.
South Carolina will retake the court on Thursday night when they take on the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington.
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