When it comes to women’s basketball, South Carolina can lay claim to the “Carolina” name for now. Dawn Staley’s top-ranked Gamecocks routed No. 12 North Carolina 84-39 at the Ally Tipoff in Charlotte on Sunday, giving them their first victory on this side of the Atlantic after a tight season-opening win over Maryland in Paris.
South Carolina is 2-0, and both wins have come against ranked opponents. The performance wasn’t flawless, but the Gamecocks were sharp at both ends. Four players scored in double figures, and the defense turned a high-powered North Carolina offense into a nonfactor.
Here are the key takeaways.
A Third-Quarter Blowout Settles It
South Carolina effectively ended the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Tar Heels 32-9 to carry a 66-26 lead into the fourth. The Gamecocks shot 36.4 percent in the first half, then connected on 70.6 percent of their attempts in the third. North Carolina managed only three field goals in the period and committed 13 turnovers.
Guard Jordan Lee said the team made intensity a priority after the Maryland game.
“It was definitely more of a focus to be more intense than we were (against) Maryland,” Lee said. “Today we wanted to come in and just shut them down offensively.”
Chloe Kitts Looks Like Herself Again
Fifth-year forward Chloe Kitts resembled the player she was before her ACL injury. She recorded a double-double with a team-high 17 points and 10 rebounds, and she did it without a knee brace. Kitts was impactful at both ends, working hard on second-chance opportunities on offense and anchoring the post on defense.
“Today was a good example of what she’s capable of,” Staley said.
Kitts wore a brace against Maryland, and Staley believes ditching it made a difference.
“I think shedding the brace is probably one of the biggest things that she could have done,” Staley said.
She added that the brace was a mental comfort.
“I think just psychologically, she just wanted that comfort,” Staley said.
Any rust was invisible Sunday. Kitts was one of four Gamecocks in double figures, joined by Joyce Edwards with 15 points, Tessa Johnson with 12 and Jerzy Robinson with 10.
Locking Down Kate Harpring and the Tar Heels
South Carolina’s defense kept North Carolina’s star freshman guard, Kate Harpring, quiet all night. A former five-star recruit who scored 21 in the Tar Heels’ opener, Harpring finished with eight points on 3-of-16 shooting and turned the ball over six times.
Staley explained the plan.
“We made a concerted effort to cut down Kate’s vision and make it very difficult for her to catch the ball in spots where she could be effective, and always showed her a crowd no matter where she touched the basketball,” Staley said.
Harpring wasn’t the only one struggling. North Carolina shot under 25 percent as a team and just 21 percent from three-point range, a significant problem for a team that leans on the long ball. South Carolina also controlled the boards, winning the rebounding battle 49-33, and forced more than 24 turnovers.
Injury and Rotation Notes
South Carolina played without forwards Alicia Tournebize and Kaeli Wynn. Tournebize was in a boot on her left foot, which Staley described briefly.
“Lower leg injury,” Staley said of Tournebize.
Staley said in September that the program is being patient with Wynn, who did not play against Maryland, as she recovers from injuries suffered during her senior year of high school.
On the positive side, forwards Adhel Tac and Oliviyah Edwards both made their season debuts off the bench after sitting out the opener.
What’s Next for South Carolina
– Thursday, Nov. 12: at Clemson, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2
– 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+
– 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 in Uncasville, Connecticut)
Bottom Line
The Gamecocks answered the biggest question from Paris, whether they could string together a full game against a quality opponent, with a decisive yes. A 32-9 third quarter, a suffocating defensive effort and a healthy-looking Kitts are exactly what Staley wanted to see before a run of Clemson, Southern Cal and UConn. With Tac and Oliviyah Edwards now in the rotation and the offense spread across four double-digit scorers, South Carolina looks like the team to beat again.
