Three Takeaways From Gamecocks Win Over UConn
Aliyah Boston and the South Carolina Gamecocks had to earn their victory on Sunday against the UConn Huskies. They went from trailing by eleven points at the end of the first quarter to pulling away through a vintage Carolina performance. It was a game that most expected the Gamecocks to win, but perhaps not in how it played out.
What are the main takeaways from this hard-fought battle between South Carolina and UConn?
Persistence Is Key For Boston
At the beginning of the game, Boston wasn't making her usual impact on the floor. Boston scored just three points in the first half, all at the free throw line, and racked up three rebounds, a surprisingly low number considering she played the entire half except for a one-minute breather.
Most players of Aliyah's caliber, who are used to dominating every game, would get frustrated and maybe allow the game to get to their heads. Still, Boston remained unfazed and wound up scoring 23 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the final twenty minutes, displaying her emotional stability and competitive fire on the floor.
Raven Shines On Big Stage
One storyline that might go unnoticed coming out of this game is the play of point guard Raven Johnson, who came in for Kierra Fletcher four minutes into the game and played the rest of the match. This was Johnson's first time playing such significant minutes in a game of this magnitude. She passed with flying colors, scored fourteen points, assisted on seven other makes, and never turned over the basketball to the Huskies.
A Needed Change In Strategy
South Carolina has had issues getting out the starting gate since conference play began and saw this happen again against a foe in UConn that nearly took full advantage. The Huskies spread the floor out to the perimeter, and South Carolina's man-to-man defense at times wound up playing against them, as UConn's backdoor cuts and quick decision-making led to multiple easy baskets at the rim.
Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks will need to use the film from this game as an opportunity to make the tweaks necessary to avoid falling prey to this blueprint that the field now seems to have on South Carolina.
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