9 out of 10 people would speak highly of this Gamecocks team. Battling out the Louisiana State University Lady Tigers in an on-road game, the Gamecocks won the recent contest by a decent margin. As is the case with any top teams showdown, the crowd had come in numbers. But some of them were understandably hostile to the ‘outsiders’, the Gamecocks.

Taking cognizance of the same, a reporter during the post-match presser questioned the South Carolina Gamecocks’ head coach Dawn Staley on tackling such a disagreeable crowd. Her response had the entire conference room hysterically laughing.

What did Staley say?

While the sensitive reporter was going ahead with the interview question regarding the growth in women’s sports as shown in a YouTube short, Staley took the moment to interrupt the journalist and gave the fans a glimpse of her wittiness on Thursday. Staley joked that “actually they were” on being asked about the “crazy” crowd and quipped that, “They were calling me ‘Boo’.” With this statement, the media along with Staley burst out laughing.

The game was a sellout and had about 13,205 people in attendance as per Greenville News. The match was an important one since the South Carolina Gamecocks were ranked at the top spot in the AP women’s basketball ranking polls whereas the Lady Tigers occupied the ninth spot. Plus, both teams were contenders for the top spot in the SEC Conference. The match was such a thrilling contest that it even had ticket prices rising to around mid $3000 and fans were just too eager to support the Baton Rouge team at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

While the Gamecocks trailed by a 36-41 margin at the end of the first half, it was actually the second half that turned the tables for them. The Gamecocks went on to smash 40 points while the Lady Tigers were restricted to 29.

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This made all the difference and the Gamecocks won their 18th contest, continuing their undefeated streak. And surely, Staley rejoiced the occasion to have a wisecrack at the situation. But on a serious note she admired the crowd.

What did Staley say about the growing women’s sport?

The 53-year-old acknowledged as per Greenville News the excitement that the fans now have for women’s basketball games and mentioned that “what we are witnessing is something truly special.” She even admitted to having “never seen as many people in any plaza, for a regular-season game” and expressed her delight for “people who are really loving up on women’s basketball.” She was also quick to remark that this was “only going to get bigger.”

It was mature of Staley to look away from the rivalry and rationalize the crowd’s reaction to her. This win not only proved her dominance but also gave fans a glimpse of her winning attitude for the growing women’s basketball. Hopefully, with coaches like Staley, the game will only bring in more spectators with time.

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