Dawn Staley Gets Clear On MiLaysia Fulwiley After South Carolina-LSU Showdown
The South Carolina Gamecocks and the LSU Tigers women's basketball teams have played each other twice this year.
Every South Carolina vs. LSU showdown is must-watch television. But this season's games were even more compelling because LSU star guard MiLaysia Fulwiley was facing her former team after transferring away from South Carolina after last season.
Staley wasn't overly candid about facing her former player before her team's first clash against LSU on February 14, as she said, "They're just a part of the personnel of the other team now. Do we want to win? Absolutely. I don't want to win because it's MiLaysia Fulwiley. I want to win because we've got a chance to win the SEC."
Fulwiley struggled in that first game against the Gamecocks, scoring 6 points on 1 of 8 shooting from the field and adding 3 turnovers in 23 minutes played. South Carolina won 79-72.
These two teams played again in the SEC Tournament on March 7. Once again, the Gamecocks secured the win, this time by a score of 83-77. Fulwiley played much better, scoring a game-high 24 points on 10 of 21 shooting in 35 minutes.
Dawn Staley Shares Strong MiLaysia Fulwiley Opinion After South Carolina Win vs. LSU
Staley spoke with the media after Saturday's win and was asked about Fulwiley's performance.
"I mean, I kinda knew she was going to have a good game, after the first time we played them. I still think MiLaysia is a generational talent. She does things out there on the floor that I haven't seen a whole lot of female basketball players do. And I'm genuinely happy for her. Like, I'm super happy. She's actually doing some of the things that we talked about doing, just direct line drives and making plays," Staley said, per an X post from Matt Dowell.
"We all know she can play, right? We all know that she undoubtedly is a tremendous player. And she's also a junior now, so some of the things that she's doing now, you just do now because you're more seasoned doing it," Staley continued. "So I'm happy for her. Like, I'm really happy for her. I mean, she played two years for us, and we're always gonna be happy. We'll always consider her a Gamecock, no matter what uniform she puts on."
Dawn Staley with really kind words about MiLaysia Fulwiley:
— Matt Dowell (@MattDowellTV) March 8, 2026
"I still think MiLaysia's a generational talent... I'm genuinely happy for her. She played 2 years for us and we're always gonna be happy. We'll always consider her a Gamecock no matter what uniform she puts on." pic.twitter.com/WpZanFIToG
Props to Staley for taking the high road when discussing her former player, which can be easier said than done.
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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