South Carolina’s grip on the Palmetto Series stayed firm Thursday. Dawn Staley’s top-ranked Gamecocks won 65-44 at Littlejohn Coliseum to move to 3-0, while Clemson fell to 3-1.
Defense carried the night. South Carolina struggled to score for long stretches and sat below 40% shooting for most of the game, but it finished at 43.4%. On the other end, the Gamecocks held Clemson to 22.4% from the field and forced 21 turnovers.
Bragging Rights Stay in Columbia
It has been 6,202 days since Clemson last beat South Carolina, and Tigers fans will wait at least another year to end the drought. The Gamecocks have now won 16 consecutive meetings, going 16-2 against Clemson under Staley. Clemson’s last victory was a 94-92 double-overtime game at the start of the 2009-10 season.
With the margins so lopsided in recent years, the Gamecocks were asked if they still view this as a rivalry. “No sir,” Chloe Kitts said. Staley followed with, “It’s a rivalry.”
Third-year Clemson coach Shawn Poppie had his team competitive early, and the Tigers were never fully out of it in the first half. The second half was another story. South Carolina led for nearly the whole game, apart from the roughly 50 seconds in the first quarter when Clemson held a 4-2 edge.
The win also pushes South Carolina’s lead in the Palmetto Series, the annual all-sports competition between the two schools, to 5-0 this year. The Gamecocks have also won in men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball and cross country.
Defense Decides a Rock Fight
At times this felt like a slugfest. Neither offense found a steady rhythm, and turnovers piled up all night.
Beyond the 22.4% overall mark, Clemson made just 12.5% of its 3-pointers. South Carolina led 19-14 after one quarter, and the Tigers never kept pace after that. The Gamecocks limited them to seven points in both the second and third quarters, and Clemson did not make a single field goal in the third. That stretch let South Carolina build a 23-point lead and carry a 51-28 advantage into the fourth.
Staley was pleased with what the performance says about her team. “I’m happy this team is finding an identity, and that identity starts with our defense,” Staley said. “We know that this early stage of the game, it’s hard to find that continuity, and where people like the ball. But our defense is holding serve, and we’re finding a way to win basketball games.”
Veterans Keep the Offense Afloat
Two experienced players kept South Carolina’s offense moving. Fifth-year forward Chloe Kitts posted her second straight double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
“I’m feeling comfortable,” Kitts said. “…My team needs me to rebound, so really, I just try and grab every rebound I can.”
Senior guard Tessa Johnson was close behind with 12 points, including nine in the third quarter. She hit two 3-pointers and added four rebounds and two assists. Kitts and Johnson were the only Gamecocks to reach double figures.
What’s Next: South Carolina’s Next Five
Sunday, Nov. 15: vs. Southern Cal, 1 p.m., ABC (The Real SC in Greenville)
Tuesday, Nov. 17: vs. Florida Gulf Coast, 7 p.m., SEC Network Plus
Saturday, Nov. 21: at Providence, 1:30 p.m., Peacock
Tuesday, Nov. 24: vs. UConn, 8 p.m., FS1 (Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase, Uncasville, Connecticut)
Saturday, Nov. 28: vs. Tennessee State, 2:30 p.m., SEC Network Plus (PowHer Player Classic, Columbia)
Bottom Line
This was not a pretty offensive night for South Carolina, but it was a convincing one. The Gamecocks leaned on defense, with 21 forced turnovers and a Clemson shooting line that never recovered, and that gave them a clear path to win while the offense sorted itself out. Kitts and Johnson provided enough scoring, yet only two players reaching double figures is something the staff will want fixed before Southern Cal arrives Sunday. The streak is at 16 for a reason: when the shots are not falling, this team has a defensive identity to fall back on.
