Gamecocks return to Colonial Life to take on Purdue

After a five-game road trip, South Carolina will host Purdue and Dawn Staley said it should be a good one.

The South Carolina women’s basketball team (9-1) returns to Colonial Life Arena Sunday at 2 p.m. after a five-game road trip to take on Purdue (7-2).

The series between the two teams is currently tied at 2-2. Last year’s meeting was a double-overtime affair that saw the Gamecocks escape with the 82-73.

USC head coach Dawn Staley addressed the media Saturday and said Sunday’s contest should be just as competitive.

“They’re better. They’re better. They’re more seasoned, they look like they play together a little bit better,” she said. “They’re more efficient. Each and every player that you saw last year, they’ve gotten better. They’ve got their entire starting lineup back and they’ve been mixing some lineups up, but they look better. The fat’s been trimmed off of each player so they’re more lean and we’ve got a game on our hands.”

She added that the Boilermakers have a dynamic gameplan and offensively and it’s up to the Gamecock defense to take Purdue out of its comfort zone.

“The bigs post up. They give big targets. They’re super methodical,” Staley said. “They know where they want their shots to come from. [Karissa] McLaughlin, they set her up pretty good, but then they’ve got some guards that can push the pace and score in transition. But they’re a patient offense. If they’re not pushing the ball at you, they’re setting up and probably using 20, 23, 25 seconds in the shot clock. We gotta speed them up and not allow them comfort in their sets.”  

Staley noted her team should be prepared, particularly the freshmen, who have responded to a tough non-conference schedule thus far.

“What probably separates the freshman is they don’t let bad games [bother them],” she said. “Whatever it is; bad shooting nights, missed assignments, they just turn the page. And if a bad game does bother them, they get it out, they communicate. I’m really pleased by them being able to approach whatever emotions they’re having, give it that attention and then they move on.”

The key moving forward, she said, is consistency.

“Some days we look great, some days we look like a team full of young players,” she said. “The challenge for us is to get them to play at a high level every time they step on the floor. That’s starting in practice.”