South Carolina Basketball: 3 thumbs up, 3 thumbs down vs. Maryland
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina basketball returned to the United States to play the Maryland Terrapins after drubbing the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Paris, France last week. The 100-point outburst vs. the Irish was just two points shy of last year’s season-high, but the Gamecocks blew past that number on Sunday against the Terps.
Despite coming into the game as the 14th-ranked team in the nation, Maryland looked completely outmatched against Carolina. Hot outside shooting kept UM in the game early, but when the Gamecock defense locked in, it was over (though, with how well South Carolina basketball played on offense, it is doubtful that Maryland could have kept up anyway).
USC made 12 3-pointers in the game, proving that the Gamecocks have fixed last season’s shooting issues (last year, Carolina made more than 8 3s just once when they made 10 against Charleston Southern).
Kamilla Cardoso and MiLaysia Fulwiley are the two players who have the most eyes on them, but it was Chloe Kitts, Ashlyn Watkins, Te-Hina Paopao, and Tessa Johnson who had the top performances on Sunday. Kitts and Watkins had double-doubles, Paopao had 14 points and 8 assists (and 4 3-pointers), and Johnson was everywhere with 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.
In the end, 114-76 was the final score, and the Gamecocks should be in line for a nice (and well-deserved) bump in the rankings.