South Carolina Women's Basketball Falls to Number the Number Four Texas Longhorns- What Went Wrong?

On a special Thanksgiving edition of women’s college hoops, the number two South Carolina Gamecocks took on the number four ranked Texas Longhorns. These teams became rather acquainted with one another last season, playing each other twice, with the Gamecocks defeating the Longhorns in the SEC Championship and Final Four this past spring.

Also similar to last season, the Gamecocks dropped their regular season matchup against the Longhorns tonight, losing by a final score of 66-44. This is the first loss of the season for the Gamecocks, who are sitting at 7-1. After being down by fourth at halftime, the Gamecocks stormed back into the lead heading into the fourth quarter but were unable to retain the lead and ultimately lost. What went wrong for the Gamecocks in their highest ranked matchup this season?

Poor Offense in the Fourth- With the lead heading into the game’s final quarter, the Gamecocks had the chance to put the game away. However, their offense sputtered, resulting in 4/8 shooting. While that is a favorable percentage, the volume of points that are created from the attempts were simply not enough. As a comparison, the Longhorns doubled the amount of shots attempted in the fourth, which ultimately was enough to secure their victory.

Rebound Advantage- The Gamecocks were outrebounded by the Longhorns 39-32. The fourth quarter was another unfortunate display of execution for the Gamecocks in the rebound department especially. The Longhorns imposed their will on the offensive boards, racking up eight in the fourth quarter while the Gamecocks didn’t tally a single offensive board. This discrepancy led to the Longhorns getting more shots as it was mentioned above, and ultimately led to their win.

Lack of Bench Production- Players coming off the bench are not only available to give starters a break, but to also provide a spark during their limited minutes, which often consist of sharp shooting or tenacious defense. For the Gamecocks, neither happened. The Gamecock bench only accounted for one field goal and zero steals. If the Gamecocks are unable to consistently generate bench production, it will make the road to winning another national championship a difficult endeavor.

The Gamecocks will look to get back on track in their next game against the number 23 ranked Louisville Cardinals on December 4 at 7 PM ET.

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