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Dawn Staley Conveys Key for MiLaysia Fulwiley After South Carolina Dominates Texas

South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley discussed what she'd like to see more of from MiLaysia Fulwiley.
Grant Young|
Jan 12, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley directs her team against the Texas Longhorns in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images
Jan 12, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley directs her team against the Texas Longhorns in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

After the South Carolina Gamecocks cruised to an easy 90-49 win against the Texas A&M Aggies on January 9, much of the discussion surrounding Dawn Staley's squad was the brutal five-game stretch against ranked teams they had on the horizon.

The first of these five games was against the No. 5 ranked Texas Longhorns on January 12. While many people believed this would be a competitive game between two top-five teams, the Gamecocks dominated the Longhorns from start to finish and secured a 67-50 win.

After producing one of the best performances of her season against Texas A&M, sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley had more of a quiet game against the Longhorns, scoring 8 points on 4 of 10 shooting while also adding 4 rebounds and 3 steals.

Staley spoke with the media after Sunday's big win. And at one point, she got honest about what she'd like to see more of from Fulwiley.

"When [Fulwiley] is locked in, she impacts [the game] on both sides of the basketball," Staley said, per an X post from WACH Fox reporter Claire Foley. "I would like for her to really understand her power from a defensive standpoint. So we're always encouraging her.

"The only reason why she comes out of the game is because of her not defending," Staley continued of Fulwiley. "So I think she's finally understanding her power on both sides of the basketball and I hope she can consistently give us that."

It will be interesting to see what strides Fulwiley continues to make on both ends of the court as her career at South Carolina continues.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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