Balling Out vs Angel Reese and LSU, Know All About Raven Johnson and Chloe Kitts

The South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team is rejoicing. They recently won their marquee clash against the Louisiana State University Tigers by a 76-70 tally and that too at the home of the Lady Tigers. With this win, the Gamecocks have an unbeaten record of 18 wins and are also placed atop the AP women’s basketball rankings.

Amid such brilliant performance by the Gamecocks, two names that pop up frequently are that of their guard Raven Johnson and forward Chloe Kitts. The pair has contributed immensely to this win and both have independently also been the key players at various times in the Gamecocks’ journey.

How has the duo performed?

Against the LSU, Kitts besotted a team-high 14 points whereas Johnson nabbed a team-high 9 rebounds. While Kitts became a formidable player in offense, Johnson was a force to reckon with in defense. The duo kept the Gamecocks hopes alive by participating from coast to coast. And with the duo’s help, the Gamecocks were able to beat the LSU.

In the previous match against the Texas A&M Aggies, Kitts helped the team with the highest assists of 5. While their guard MiLaysia Fulwiley played the alpha, it was Kitts’s efforts of playing selflessly and passing the ball to players at open spaces that created a lot of difference. It is not only Kitts who has been a vital athlete for the Gamecocks.

In their game against the Kentucky Wildcats, Johnson too played the role of a supporting player helping with a team-high of 6 assists. She previously also achieved the same feat when she facilitated 5 assists against the Florida Gators. The key point to be noted here is the flexibility with which both Kitts and Johnson operate. They are adaptable to different roles that the team presents to them. 

Kitts’s versatility was quite evident when she potted a team-high of 21 points against the Bowling Green. It helped her team to victory plus it also showed that she could amp up her game whenever she needed to. The two have consistently in either of the three departments of points, rebounds, and assists.

Kitts once again came to the fore when she grabbed a team-high of 7 rebounds and another team-high of 4 assists against the Utah. The alpha in this game was their center Kamilla Cardoso who besotted a game high of 17 points. Previous to this game, the Gamecocks played two against the Morgan State and the Duke respectively. 

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Against the Morgan State, the duo got a chance to show their on-court brilliance collectively. While Johnson smashed 16 points, Kitts seized a team-high 14 rebounds. It has been this character that has helped them go on an undefeated rampage. The team has played collectively with none of the players dominating the others. Different players have taken different roles and helped the team at different stages.

How have Kitts and Johnson taken on different roles?

Against the Duke, Cardoso showed a masterclass in offense and defense, basketing 15 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Johnson contributed in her own way by providing 4 assists. The other three games where Johnson stood out were against the South Dakota, the Clemson and the Notre Dame.

Against the South Dakota, Johnson provided a team high of 6 assists whereas against the Clemson much of the victory can again be rested on Johnson’s performance since she gave a team-high 17 assists. The highest scorer for the Gamecocks in the game was Fulwiley who smoked 18 points. One can only imagine how much Johnson contributed in the game that the Clemson lost by a humongous margin of 109-40.

Even during their season opener against the Notre Dame, Johnson provided the team with 7 assists that helped them start a winning streak that has continued till now. Kitts has played the role of fifth player to perfection even though she has a minutes average of 18.4 per game. She has a decent 10.1 points per contest with 6.6 rebounds per match.

On the other hand, Johnson has 9.3 points per game with 3.9 rebounds per match and 5.3 assists per outing. This shows that though occasionally they have played in every role, mainly Kitts is an ardent scorer and also a rebounder. While Johnson has been an efficient scorer and assist-maker. 

Another interesting thing is that the two play important roles of being the fifth and sixth for the Gamecocks and it shows the importance of having depth. When the supporting players have the caliber to rake in good numbers on their given day, it becomes a crucial step in helping the team win games when the top players are contained by the opposition.

Hopefully, both of them will continue to decimate the opponents and take further steps towards clinching the title. Going by their on-song performances a lot of fans have put their hopes of winning the title. Maybe the secret recipe to winning games is coming together as a team and donning different roles when the situation requires. Whatever the result be, this has been a season of brilliance thus far for the Gamecocks and the upcoming matches will only demonstrate their exceptional talent.

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