Dawn Staley Reveals Referee Expectations for South Carolina vs LSU Rivalry Game
The last time the South Carolina Gamecocks and LSU Tigers women's basketball teams played each other, six players were ejected.
This was during the SEC Championship Game on March 10, 2024. Late in the contest (which South Carolina won amid their undefeated, National Championship winning campaign), MiLaysia Fulwiley and Flau'jae Johnson got tangled up after Fulwiley stole the ball from her.
On the way back to her team's bench, Johnson tried to shove Gamecocks forward Ashlyn Watkins on the shoulder. This led to Kamilla Cardoso coming up and shoving Johnson to the ground, and chaos ensued from there.
South Carolina and LSU play each other on January 24 for the first time since this tussle. And as if a matchup between the country's No. 2 and No. 5 ranked team needed any more hype, the recent history between these rivals makes Friday's game even more appealing.
When speaking with the media on January 23, Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley discussed how she expects the referees to handle the rivalry game, given what happened in the last contest.
"I mean, obviously we brought it to [the referee's] attention. And we feel like the officiating is gonna be on it at the start of the game," Staley said, per an X post from WACH Fox's Matt Dowell.
"Some of the things that we did in that game, we're not gonna be able to do. Some of the things that they did, they're not gonna be able to do," she added. "So for us, it's about adjusting to how the officiating is going to be. It's probably gonna be tight. I would if I'm [the] coordinator of officials.
"But I don't think our teams are in that place or in that headspace," Staley concluded.
Everyone knows how the SEC Championship between LSU & @GamecockWBB ended.
— Matt Dowell (@MattDowellTV) January 23, 2025
Dawn Staley says they expect officials to set the tone right away:
"It's probably gonna be tight. I would if I'm coordinator officials. But I don't think our teams are in that place or in that headspace." pic.twitter.com/3alCGBNut3
Regardless of whether she's right, this matchup is still must-see TV for the women's basketball community.
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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