Three Takeaways: No. 1 South Carolina vs No. 11 Utah
The South Carolina Gamecocks exited Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday afternoon with a 78-69 victory over the No. 11 Utah Utes, their fourth win of the season both over a ranked opponent and away from the Colonial Life Arena. While Dawn Staley and her staff are happy to head back to Columbia with a win, there's multiple things we learned or were confirmed in this game, both positive and negative. What are the main takeaways coming out of this game?
Fulwiley & Paopao Offer Great Ying-Yang Dynamic
In their past two games away from home, MiLaysia Fulwiley and Te-Hina Paopao have displayed why their presence on the floor is so impactful that it's best to play one of them at a time. Fulwiley's apperance in the third quarter provided a much-needed spark for the Gamecocks' offense, as her ball-handling and dribble penetration lead to her getting a couple of buckets, and drew Utah's frontcourt defenders, which opened the door for offensive rebounds and extra possessions.
In the fourth quarter, Paopao's veteran experience and calm presence permeated throughout the lineup, as Te-Hina didn't press too hard offensively and made the winning plays that are required down the stretch in such a tight ball game.
Cardoso's Kryptonite Might Have Been Revealed
In fairness to Kamilla Cardoso, no one was able to slow down Utah's Alissa Pili today, but considering the fact that the senior from Brazil was Pili's primary defender on Sunday, we can't overlook what the final box score says. Alissa scored 37 total points, a career high, shot 65.2 percent from the field on 23 attempts, and hit three shots from behind the arc. While not making much of an impact on the glass with only two rebounds, Pili showed that even if Cardoso has the height advantage, if you can stretch the floor, and create positioning for yourself under the rim, she can be bested on the the defensive end.
Turnovers Are Becoming A Problem...
Against North Carolina and Duke, South Carolina had 33 total turnovers, and they had another 23 on Saturday. The most frustrating part is that a good amount of these turnovers are unforced errors, such as offensive fouls (they had nine on Sunday), passes where two players are on different wavelengths, etc. If the Gamecocks aren't careful, this will eventually come back to haunt them when they face an opponent that can fully capitalize on their mistakes.
You Might Also Like:
- Gamecocks Stay Hot In 104-38 Blowout Win Over Morgan State
- South Carolina Pulls Away Late In 77-61 Victory Over Duke
- Gamecocks Escape Chapel Hill With Narrow 65-58 Victory Over Tar Heels
Join the community:
- Follow Andrew Lyon on Twitter: @ALyon_SC
- Follow Joseph Griffin on Twitter: @JosephGriffinJG
- Follow Fisher Brewer on Twitter: @USCTalk
- Follow Arvon Bacon on Twitter: @Baconnetworkllc
- Follow Locked On Gamecocks on Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter at @GamecocksDigest