South Carolina Leans On Strong Defense To Pull Away From UCLA
Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks haven't been the most efficient with their shooting on the offensive end as of late. Still, so far in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, it's yet to affect them significantly, as they defeated the UCLA Bruins on Saturday afternoon. The Gamecocks accomplished this through their swarming defensive play, as the Bruins could not contend with South Carolina's overall height and length advantage all across their lineup.
To start the game, the Gamecocks did what I discussed in the game preview article earlier today and played the role of the aggressor, attacking the paint early and often and finding themselves with plenty of open looks. On the other end of the floor, the Bruins recognized that they would have to be creative to create space, so they ran a bevy of screen action near the perimeter to try and deter the Gamecocks' guards.
While South Carolina was able to get out to an early lead, they struggled to pull away from UCLA for the rest of the first half as the Bruins began to play more of a sagging-zone defense, daring the Gamecocks to take more outside shots. The strategy would prove to be effective enough for UCLA, where South Carolina only found themselves up ten points at halftime.
In the second half, the floodgates would open for South Carolina, who outscored the Bruins 25-15 in the ten-minute period. Through a combination of both more side-to-side action and a taller lineup that saw Kamilla Cardoso and Aliyah Boston both simultaneously on the floor, they scored each of their 25 points within the three-point line.
In the end, this increased lead would prove too much for the UCLA Bruins, as the Gamecocks would secure a 16-point win and advance to their seventh Elite 8 in program history. Brea Beal would be the primary difference maker for South Carolina, scoring ten points, seven rebounds, and four assists, while Aliyah Boston would secure 14 rebounds of her own.
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