TAMPA – No. 3 South Carolina has hurdled several injuries, but the connectivity and communication between their nine players was defined once again Thursday evening in the Gamecocks’ 103-44 domination of the USF Bulls in Tampa’s Yuengling Center
The Gamecocks shot 63 percent from the floor and scored 38 points off of 23 Bulls turnovers while scoring on 26 of 33 layup attempts. The Gamecocks started the second half with six steals, where they converted 12 points behind guard Ta’Niya Latson, who had six of her 15 points in that flurry.
“We have only nine players that are healthy,” said coach Dawn Staley, who has three national championships with seven Final Fours in the last 10 NCAA Tournaments. “We aren’t looking at the score. We are looking at players who are playing to a standard for minutes, and we haven’t done that until today. We were locked in, and there were very few lapses defensively. I am proud of them because even the ones that don’t play a whole lot — they were locked in and they were disciplined.”
Center Joyce Edwards broke her career high in as many games with 34 points as she was 14-of-15 from the floor, where she made baskets at the rim, used her jump shot, and was a playmaker off the dribble. Edwards used her athleticism and power to get to the free-throw line, where she made 6-of-8 free throws.
“Joyce wants to score a lot of points, and she is very capable of doing that, but Joyce isn’t just a scorer,” explained Staley. “She is a really great playmaker. She will make the play that is supposed to be made, and sometimes you have to force her into playing advantage basketball, meaning she could probably score against anyone who is guarding her.”
Edwards scored 19 points in the first half as USC built a 52-25 lead at the break. She added nine in the fourth quarter when the Gamecocks shot 68.8 percent to outscore the Bulls, 27-6.
Guard Tessa Johnson provides outside scoring and playmaking for Staley as she netted 16 points, making 7-of-9 field goals with two triples in 26 minutes.
“She has developed into being aware, and her awareness,” Staley commented. “If you want to go from average to good and good to great, it’s about awareness.”
Johnson joined Edwards with a quick start by making two pull-ups from 12 feet in the lane when she penetrated from the right side on both. Johnson spaced her scoring throughout the game as her talents allowed her to take what the defense had given.
“You know what’s happening out there on the floor, and that’s what you are seeing Tessa do,” Staley explained. “She has developed into being aware and her awareness. If you want to go from average to good and good to great, it’s about awareness.”
South Florida stands at 6-5 as the Bulls have played an incredibly tough schedule. They defeated Duke, 85-72, but fell to No. 3 UCLA, No. 1 UConn, No.14 Vanderbilt, and No. 3 South Carolina.
Guard Jelena Bulajic led the Bulls with 10 points as the Gamecocks held USF to shooting 31 percent.
“We’ve just had a lot of new players who’ve never played even against a top 25 team,” said interim head coach Michele Woods-Baxter, who moved forward from her role as an assistant coach when coach Jorge Fernandez left for the WNBA’s Dallas Wings. “You know, and then this year they come in here, and they get thrown in against, you know, one, two, three, and 13. So like I said, I thought we gave up a little bit on this game.”