FINAL: Carolina Overcomes Dominant Pili, Self-Inflicted Mistakes In 78-69 Win Over Utah
The South Carolina Gamecocks were looking to heading into Final exam week on a high note, and while they didn't make things easy on themselves against No. 11 Utah, Dawn Staley's squad inevitably took care of business, winning another close-bout against a tough opponent.
In the first quarter, the Gamecocks were able to push the pace offensively, something that they've thrived in to this point in the season. With Raven Johnson able to run the floor in transition, Carolina was able to share the basketball and give themselves high percentage looks, which lead to six different players scoring a bucket, and Staley's quad exiting the first quarter with a 27-16 lead.
In the second quarter, however, things would get much more interesting, as Utah star forward Alissa Pili went into takeover mode, scoring 14 points in the period, including each of the Utes first eleven points in the period. Combine this with Utah foward Jenna Johnson drawing a bevy of offensive fouls from South Carolina's frontcourt, two of them from Kamilla Cardoso, and the Gamecocks wound up out of sync for the rest of the first half, and headed into the locker room with only a four-point lead.
In the third quarter, it was a back-and-forth affair for the first 7 minutes and 38 seconds of the period, leading to Carolina only possessing a two-point advantage over the Utes. However, there was a palpable change when true freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley came onto the floor at the 3:48 mark, as she brought a dynamic change of pace to what was still largely a stagnant Gamecock offense. Fulwiley's ability to get dribble penetration caused there to be need for help defense from Utah's frontcourt, and allowed her teammates to get into good position for a potential offensive rebound when needed.
In the fourth quarter, Dawn did what she typically does in close games against a formidable opponent: lean on her veterans. Her three most seasoned players that took the court in that stretch responded in a positive way, as Te-Hina Paopao, Kamilla Cardoso, and Bree Hall scored all of Carolina's 16 points, and combined with good team defense, slammed the door shut on the Utes' second-half push, securing a 78-69 win.
The victory puts the Gamecocks at 9-0 on the season, and they'll get a chance to recharge in preparation for final Fall exams before they take the court again on Saturday against the Presbyterian Blue Hose.
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