South Carolina women's basketball shows not to mess with them after a loss

The South Carolina women's basketball team has proven they are a team that can punch others as hard in the mouth as they get punched in the mouth. The Gamecocks truly got knocked around against UCLA, or as head coach Dawn Staley would say, ran into a buzzsaw, but they certainly turned the tables when they stepped back onto the court against No. 15 Iowa State.

In their first game back since losing to the Bruins 62-77, the Gamecocks wanted to show that the teams that played UCLA were not truly who they were. Instead, they put together both an almost perfect offensive and defensive performance against the Cyclones that will show people not to mess with this team.

Early in the first quarter, South Carolina took a 6-3 lead, and that was the last time the game was that close for the rest of the game. The Gamecocks ended up going on a 32-0 run against Iowa State and allowed only nine points to the Cyclones in the entire first half.

South Carolina allowed Iowa State to score more in the second half, but at that point, it felt like the game was over in the second quarter. The Gamecocks walked away with the 76-36 win over the No. 15 team in the country and showed that they are still a team capable of accomplishing a three-peat at the end of the season.

The best thing to see for the Gamecocks was that offensively, the points didn't all come from one person, it was truly a team effort. The leading scorers for South Carolina were Sania Feagin and Joyce Edwards, not even who some would say are the "superstars" of this team.

Only two players on for the Gamecocks did not score, but everyone else who got to touch the court was able to get the ball in the hoop and contribute to this absolute beatdown against the Cyclones.

While offensively, the Gamecocks look better than they did against UCLA, defensively, they look unstoppable. South Carolina allowed just three points in the first quarter, six points in the second quarter, 18 points in the third quarter, and nine points in the fourth quarter. The defensive play can be summed up by this one play by Ashlyn Watkins.

The Gamecocks looked unstoppable in their first game back after the loss, and if they continue to play like that the rest of the season, a three-peat is sure to come in April.