COLUMBIA — Always great to win, but even better to win with something to work on before the next game.
Top-seeded South Carolina opened its title defense with a 108-48 gutting of 16th-seeded Tennessee Tech on March 21, the expected rout from a heavyweight against a solid but colossally outgunned champion of the Ohio Valley Conference. The Gamecocks (31-3) whipped the Golden Eagles up, down and sideways, but still came out of the game knowing one aspect of it couldn’t continue.
Tech (25-6) packed five into the paint, aiming to shut off USC’s big tandem of Sania Feagin and Chloe Kitts, hoping that by daring the Gamecocks’ guards to beat them, perhaps they’d have an off night and Tech could hang around for a bit. The second part of the plan went about as expected: Te-Hina Paopao connected on a 3-pointer to start USC’s scoring and the Gamecocks added six more in quarters 1-2, helping to set a program record for points scored in an NCAA Tournament half (60, but still not above the program record of 62 first-half points in any game, set this season against Florida).
The first? The Gamecocks still had to try to get the ball inside. The first quarter featured them doing so but completing passes to the Golden Eagles instead of their teammates.
Eight turnovers in the first half, almost all while trying to work the ball inside. It wasn’t so much a concern — rust after not playing for 12 days was as likely a culprit as anything else — but of course there was the nagging question.
Can’t do it against a Tennessee Tech team with one player taller than 6-foot-1, how you gonna do it against others, notably Round of 32 opponent Indiana, with five players at least 6-3?
“It took us a little bit to adjust to it,” USC coach Dawn Staley said. “Once Pao hit a couple of shots, Tessa (Johnson) hit a couple of 3s, they loosened up so we were able to maneuver.”
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