South Carolina basketball is now just one win away from the SEC's first-ever back-to-back undefeated regular seasons. After whipping Arkansas on Thursday, only another game against the Tennessee Volunteers stands between the Gamecocks and that piece of history.
The game against Arkansas was a blowout win for the visiting Gamecocks, but the Lady Hogs came out swinging. For the game, they shot 41 3-pointers, but the Gamecocks stifled them, allowing just 19.5% success on those shots. The gap in efficiency was the story as Carolina shot over 60% from the field and over 40% from outside.
South Carolina basketball dominated the paint (56-22 points in the pain, 53-21 rebounding) and was much more efficient from the arc (42.1% to 19.5%). Every Gamecock scored at least 4 points and had at least 1 rebound, and 9 of the 10 who played saw action for at least 16 minutes.
Both teams were relatively thin and were forced to play a few bench players big minutes. Dawn Staley's team showed off their quality depth (even with just 10 players available) as they outscored Arkansas 64-6 in bench points.
Ashlyn Watkins was the best player on the court as she scored 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in just 21 minutes of action. Kamilla Cardoso returned after her two-game absence, but Coach Staley was able to keep her minutes output down with the lopsided score.
Despite solid scoring quarters from the Lady Hogs in the 1st and 3rd periods, Carolina was able to cruise to the 98-61 victory.