South Carolina Basketball: 3 thumbs up, 3 thumbs down from win over Georgia

South Carolina basketball fans were hoping that Sunday's game against the Georgia Bulldogs would be a light test after a closer-than-expected contest on Thursday against the Tennessee Volunteers. Those hopes were not met well by reality as UGA came ready for a fight.

The Gamecocks couldn't do anything with Javyn Nicholson as she tallied 18 points and 8 rebounds in the 1st half. Asia Avinger played the role of sidekick well, scoring 9 points and dishing out 3 assists in the opening 20 minutes. Their efforts were just one point off of USC's scoring total through the first two quarters, and Katie Abrahamson-Henderson's team led 35-28 at the intermission.

Early in the 3rd quarter, Georgia took a 9-point lead, marking the first time in about 3 years that South Carolina basketball trailed by more than 8 points in the 2nd half of a game. Things changed drastically after that point for Dawn Staley's team as the final 8:58 of the 3rd period saw the Gamecocks outscore the Dawgs by 15 points.

From there, Carolina coasted to the finish line and won the game by 14 points.

Kamilla Cardoso was excellent despite playing under a slight minutes restriction. She led the team in all five major statistical categories, piling up 16 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, and 3 steals in 25 minutes. She was backed up by a 5 3-pointer performance from Te-Hina Paopao, a 12-point and 7-rebound game from Chloe Kitts, and strong non-scoring efforts from MiLaysia Fulwiley and Ashlyn Watkins.

The Gamecocks' victory was their 43rd regular season win in a row, a new all-time record in the SEC. The 70-56 triumph was also win #599 for Coach Dawn Staley.

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