South Carolina coach Dawn Staley didn’t mince words after her team’s narrow 71-56 escape at Texas A&M, pointing to self-inflicted wounds and the Aggies’ defensive discipline as the primary culprits behind Monday night’s scare.
Never in Control
When asked what changed in the third quarter when Texas A&M seized momentum, Staley rejected the premise that her team ever had firm control.
“I don’t think it was ever under control for the teams that are in our league,” Staley said. “For us just turnovers, unaware of the shot clock situation, and bad spacing. They capitalized because they scored a lot of points on us when we turned it over. Close to half of their points came from our turnovers. That was their defense and their grit and their ability to stay locked in and try to get a win.”
Edwards’ Star Turn
Joyce Edwards’ fourth-quarter takeover—14 points in the final period alone—exemplified exactly what Staley expects from her best players in tight situations.
“Yeah, she can playmake,” Staley said. “I thought down the stretch we were a lot more focused on getting the ball where it needed to be. I think for a lot of the game offensively, we didn’t do a good job of moving the ball in a way that really impacts the defense. So we just played according to how Texas A&M wanted us to play. They did a great job of executing defensively.”
Aggies’ Defensive Blueprint
Texas A&M’s defensive scheme frustrated South Carolina throughout most of the contest, limiting the Gamecocks’ offensive flow and forcing them into uncomfortable situations.
“Well, one, they were pretty aggressive,” Staley explained. “Two, they just stunted and tried to keep us on the side of the floor. When you don’t get ball movement, and you don’t get ball reversals, and you have to concentrate on one side of the floor, the percentage of your scoring gets lower and lower and lower. They did a pretty good job of just being disciplined to that. They rebounded the ball pretty well as well. As for us, we got a lot more ball movement in the fourth quarter when we needed to score.”
Half-Court Defense Solid Despite Numbers
While the final margin suggests comfortable control, Staley noted that South Carolina’s defensive performance was better than the box score indicated.
“Other than the turnovers and the offensive rebounds, I think our half-court defense was pretty good,” she said. “We just got skewed with our inability to take care of the basketball and give them turnover points. They made us pay with second-chance points as well.”
Pryor’s Impact and Momentum Shifts
Texas A&M guard Ny’Ceara Pryor proved problematic before fouling out, drawing a pointed observation from Staley.
“I thought she was great. Thank goodness there is a foul limitation, because if there wasn’t, they would probably be in a much different situation with two of the stars on their team because they fouled out,” Staley said.
Asked about the momentum swing that favored the Aggies late in the third quarter, Staley offered a philosophical take on the game’s ebb and flow.
“Momentum. It’s momentum. It doesn’t matter what team; momentum is faceless, right? Momentum is teamless. Momentum is momentum,” she said. “And the team that’s able to grab it at any given moment can win basketball games. They had it at the end of the third quarter. And we tried to figure out how to do that. I think we had more defensive momentum after we stopped fouling in the fourth quarter, and then we were able to score.”
The victory, while keeping South Carolina’s SEC record pristine at 8-1, exposed vulnerabilities the Gamecocks will need to address before facing stiffer competition later this week.
