South Carolina women's basketball showed Clemson who owns the state with convincing win

At this point, no one wants to face South Carolina, just like how no one wanted to face UConn in their golden age. The Gamecocks are firing on all cylinders right now and in their game against Clemson last night, they had all their players healthy for the first time this season and it showed.

The Gamecocks got their historic 43rd win in a row with a 77-45 win over Clemson, setting a new school record, and the charge was led by senior guard Te-Hina Paopao and junior forward Ashlyn Watkins. Paopao had 13 points on the night, and Watkins had 10 as they were the only two players for South Carolina to score double digits, but the entire team had something to offer during the game.

Watkins had one of the better nights as she recorded her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds coming off the bench for the Gamecocks. Sophomore guard Tessa Johnson made her return to the court last night after missing two games due to injury and was able to hit two three-pointers and finished the game with eight points, two steals, and one rebound.

The game was closer in the first half and even in the first quarter than head coach Dawn Staley would have liked, but in the second quarter, things took a turn. Clemson took a 17-12 lead in the second quarter after Mia Moore hit a 3-pointer, and that was the spark defensively that the Gamecocks needed.

After Clemson too, what ended up being their biggest lead of the night, the Gamecocks went on a 17-0 run that could have continued, but the game went into halftime. After starting 6-of-29, South Carolina hit 8-of-15 shots from the floor during that dominant scoring stretch.

Defense truly was the key to this win for South Carolina as they forced Clemson to turn the ball over a season-high 19 times and dominated on the boards with 54 total rebounds to Clemson's 30. The Gamecocks also dominated in the paint, scoring 44 of their 77 points from inside, and limited Clemson to just 10 points in the paint.

South Carolina will have a few days to rest and recover before they take on No. 5 UCLA out in Los Angeles, California on Sunday, November 24 at 4:00 p.m. EST.