South Carolina hangs 100 on Florida to tie program record with 22 consecutive wins
With an undisputed SEC regular season title already in hand, South Carolina women’s basketball might have easily let up a little Thursday on the road against Florida.
Instead, the No. 1 Gamecocks came out hot and never looked back in a 100-67 rout of the Gators, matching a program record with its 22nd consecutive win.
“It just means we’re doing something right,” coach Dawn Staley told The Associated Press. “I think our players are locked in and they want to win. That’s their mantra all season long: Just win the game. They don’t care what the stats look like. They don’t care who’s doing what. At the end of the game, we need to have more points than our opponents.”
Leading the way, USC senior forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan scored a season-high 18 points, and fellow veteran Tyasha Harris added 16 points, eight assists and three rebounds. Every player on the roster scored for the Gamecocks (28-1, 15-0 SEC).
Things got off to a blistering start, with both teams shooting above 60% from the field for most of the first quarter, trading basket for basket and staying knotted up at 14 just over five minutes in. Florida’s damage came almost exclusively in the paint as the Gators attacked USC’s defense with pick and rolls.
But South Carolina’s offense could not be denied, as Herbert Harrigan got going quickly and every starter added a bucket. And after a Herbert Harrigan score tied the game, the Gamecocks started to pull away, scoring six unanswered points to take the lead and start a 17-7 run to close the quarter.
As the second quarter began, Florida was unable to keep its torrid pace going, shooting just 4-of-16 from the field. South Carolina, meanwhile, barely fell off, with eight USC players scoring, led by five points from Herbert Harrigan and freshman forward Aliyah Boston each. They were joined by Harris in double figures before halftime, all shooting above 50% from the field, and the Gamecocks pushed their advantage past 20 points.
From there, USC continued to pull away from UF, rotating in its reserves so that no player had to go above 26 minutes. Junior guard LeLe Grissett and freshman guard Zia Cooke reached double figures, and a last-minute 3-pointer from freshman guard Olivia Thompson put the Gamecocks at 100 for the game.
And one
With a quick swat in the first quarter, Mikiah Herbert Harrigan reached 200 career blocks, making her just the third Gamecock in program history to reach that milestone, alongside all-time greats A’ja Wilson and Alaina Coates.
Personal foul
The Gators managed to score 50 points in the paint, the second most the Gamecocks have allowed in the lane all season and more than 25 points more than their average entering the game. The pick-and-roll defense, which let them down against Mississippi State, let them down again.
Tip-in
The Gamecocks scored 100 points for the third time all season and the first time in SEC play and came just two points away from tying the program record for most points scored in an SEC game.
When do the Gamecocks play next?
Who: No. 1 South Carolina (28-1, 15-0 SEC) vs. No. 12 Texas A&M (22-6, 10-5 SEC)
When: Noon Sunday
Where: Colonial Life Arena
Watch: ESPN2
Listen: 107.5 FM in Columbia area
Box score
SOUTH CAROLINA (28-1)—Boston 5-9 1-1 11, Herbert Harrigan 8-13 1-1 18, Beal 2-3 0-0 4, Cooke 5-8 0-0 11, Harris 7-8 0-0 16, Amihere 2-5 3-4 8, Saxton 4-9 0-0 8, Wesolek 1-1 0-0 2, Grissett 4-4 2-2 10, Henderson 2-9 2-2 6, Thompson 2-2 0-0 6, Team 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 42-71 9-10 100
FLORIDA (15-13)—Williams 8-11 0-1 16, Briggs 7-15 0-0 15, Moore 2-7 2-2 6, Rickards 1-6 2-2 4, Smith 4-10 0-0 8, Dut 5-7 0-0 10, Robinson 0-0 0-0 0, Bartram 1-4 0-0 3, de Oliveira 1-3 0-0 3, Johnson 1-6 0-0 2, Team 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 30-69 4-5 67
Halftime—South Carolina 54-30. 3-Point Goals—South Carolina 7-12 (Herbert Harrigan 1-3, Cooke 1-2, Harris 2-2, Amihere 1-1, Henderson 0-2, Thompson 2-2), Florida 3-14 (Briggs 1-1, Moore 0-4, Smith 0-2, Bartram 1-4, de Oliveira 1-1, Johnson 0-2). Assists—South Carolina 18 (Harris 8), Florida 13 (Smith 4). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—South Carolina 42 (Amihere 5-9), Florida 26 (Johnson 3-4). Total Fouls—South Carolina 7, Florida 12. Technical Fouls—None. A—1,512.
