Putting together 40 full minutes pf basketball has been an area of concern and emphasis for the South Carolina women all season long.
And in the first round of the NCAA tournament against Belmont on Friday, coach Dawn Staley loved the Gamecocks’ effort, calling it the team’s best defensive performance of the season.
But where No. 4 seed USC really took control of the game was the third quarter, making 13 of 16 shots and scoring 31 points, more than it had the entire first half. It was one of the best shooting quarters Carolina has ever had, and it came at a point in the game that’s typically given the Gamecocks trouble this year.