Suspension of Kamilla Cardoso Doesn’t Hurt Dawn Staley and Co. as South Carolina Extend 33–0 Run

An invincible South Carolina was in action on Friday. After a complete dominance in their regular season which ended with them winning the SEC championship, the Gamecocks began their March Madness by taking on the No.16 seed Presbyterian Blue Hose. They were playing this game without their powerful centre, but it hardly created any difference to Dawn Staley’s defiant campaign.

South Carolina steamrolled their way past Presbyterian with a resounding victory. A spirited double-double from Chloe Kitts (21 points and 13 rebounds) and Sania Feagin (12 points and 10 rebounds) along with valuable contributions from Te-Hina Paopao (18 points) and MiLaysia Fulwiley (17 points) helped the Gamecocks advance to the next stage. It was this collective team effort that compensated for the absence of their star Kamila Cardoso.

The Gamecocks began the game authoritatively by controlling both the defensive and offensive fronts. Their wonder freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley took matters into her own hands and gave the initial advantage to the Gamecocks. She received comprehensive support from sophomore forward Chloe Kitts and No.2 Ashlyn Watkins. The three of them made a mockery of Presbyterian’s defense and got South Carolina a 17-point lead by the end of the first quarter.

The opposition tried to find a way back into the game in the subsequent quarter. Junior guard Paige Kindseth showed glimpses of a fightback as she managed to sneak past the backcourt of the Gamecocks on more than one occasion. However, South Carolina’s relentless approach crushed her resistance soon.

Fabulous Fulwiley’s super play

Fulwiley quickly got to a double-digit score and was the standout with her impeccable control both in field goals as well as from beyond the arc. She was able to score 12 points with a 66.7% efficiency from the 3-point range as well as in field goals. Consequently, last year’s semi-finalists ended the first half-half on 48-25.

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

Apart from Fulwiley, Te-Hina Paopao started to get in her groove after half-time as she quickly got her double figures for the night. Moreover, some astonishing 3-point shooting (7 of 17) further made the lead unassailable for the Blue Hose. Further, a 13-0 run in the penultimate quarter made the final buzzer a mere formality.

Evidently, double-figure contributions from five South Carolina players sent a powerful message through the Albany 1 region as the Gamecocks winded up the contest with a final score of 91-39.

Read More- Saving Dawn Staley and South Carolina’s Unbeaten Streak, Kamilla Cardoso Reflects on Her First 3-Pointer