The annual Palmetto Series women's basketball showdown once again belonged to the Gamecocks, as No. 2 South Carolina rolled past Clemson 65-37 on Tuesday night at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks' defense held the Tigers without a made field goal in the fourth quarter, closing out the game with a 20-2 run to remain unbeaten on the season. After the game, both head coaches, South Carolina's Dawn Staley and Clemson's Shawn Poppie, reflected on the rivalry, the lessons learned, and where each program stands in the state's women's basketball landscape.
Poppie: “We gave them a run for three quarters”
Clemson head coach Shawn Poppie acknowledged the challenge of going up against one of the sport's powerhouses, praising South Carolina's size, length, and discipline.
“Obviously, a big matchup here, Clemson–South Carolina,” Poppie said. “I thought we gave them a run there for three quarters and ran out of gas. They’ve got a really good basketball team over there. You don’t realize how big they are until you sit there on the sideline and watch. They’re so long.”
Despite the 29-point final margin, Poppie emphasized that his team competed well for most of the game. The Tigers trailed by just 10 points entering the final period before the Gamecocks' relentless defense took over. Clemson shot for only 5-for-33 from beyond the arc, something Poppie said must improve if they are to contend in the ACC.
“If we go 5-for-33, we’re not going to beat anybody,” he admitted. “But the 33 attempts is something that’ll probably be consistent for us. We’ve got to find a way to make some shots and finish the game.”
Poppie also credited South Carolina's pressure for wearing down his players as the game progressed. “Both teams were gassed,” he said. “We had four open looks late in the third that didn’t fall. Even when you get wide-open looks, your legs are a little bit different against a team like that.”
Looking ahead, Poppie said he views the matchup as a valuable learning moment. “When I took this job, I knew the powerhouse right up the road with what Dawn Staley’s built,” he said. “You can love women’s basketball in this state, and we’re trying to build something similar. We’ve signed a top-five recruiting class, and it’s just part of the process.”
Staley: “A more disciplined unit closed it out”
Dawn Staley, meanwhile, praised her team's defensive composure and late-game maturity after what she called their "first real adversity" of the season. “The change was just a more disciplined unit out there on the floor,” Staley said. “We reversed the ball more, got good looks, and locked in defensively. They had to guard five players on the floor.”
South Carolina's defense waws suffocating in the final ten minutes, forcing Clemson into turnover and missed shots while converting on the other end trough balanced ball movement.
“We’ve got a good group that’s disciplined,” Staley explained. “Sometimes one unit is more connected, and that group was out there. Clemson was taking the air out of the ball, running the clock down, and we had to defend for long stretches. But once we started playing smarter offensively, less quick shots, more reversals, things turned fast.”
The Gamecocks were led again by a deep, young roster that continues to adjust to Staley's demanding expectations. “We’re just a really young basketball team,” Staley said. “They challenged us to be more disciplined. Everything is about awareness and recognition. Once they recognize it, we make adjustments, and they can execute.”
Final Word
South Carolina's dominance in the rivalry continues. Tuesday night was the squad's 15th straight win over Clemson, but both program's coaches saw the matchup as more than a score. For Stanley, it's about shaping a young team into another championship contender. For Poppie, it's a measuring stick for a program on the rise.