Dawn Staley made her feelings known on how she planned to stop Hailey Van Lith: "She's in that mode"

Coach Dawn Staley shared her thoughts after her No. 3 South Carolina Gamecocks eased past Hailey Van Lith and the No. 9 TCU Horned Frogs on Sunday 85-52 in a top-10 clash at Dickies Arena. Four players scored in double figures for the Gamecocks, who handed the Horned Frogs their first loss of the season.

In the lead-up to the game, Staley shared that her team's preparation centered on Van Lith, who entered the showdown with South Carolina in fine form, averaging 19.4 points, 6.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. The Horned Frogs benefited from Van Lith's play, starting the season with a perfect 9-0 record.

Staley knew that she had to check old scouting reports on Van Lith, as it wasn't the same player who looked lost at LSU last season. Van Lith averaged just 11.6 points per game for the Tigers as she struggled to fit in with LSU's star-studded lineup in the 2023-24 NCAA campaign.

"We know Hailey," Staley said. "Played against her when she was in Louisville and LSU. She’s more like in the Louisville. She’s in that mode.

"She’s called on to do a lot of things for their basketball team. So you gotta go back and look at that Louisville scout and see the types of things that we did to have an impact on her ability to get clean looks."

Van Lith wreaked havoc during her time with Louisville, averaging 19.7 points in her final season with the Cardinals. Van Lith has rediscovered that form with TCU now that she's once again the main star.

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Hailey Van Lith lacked offensive support in loss to Dawn Staley's South Carolina

TCU Horned Frogs guard Hailey Van Lith (10) Photo: Imagn

Hailey van Lith got her offense going against the Gamecocks, scoring a game-high 21 points in a losing effort. She shot 7-of-17 from the field and made all six of her free throw attempts.

She struggled with her outside shot, going 1-of-5 from beyond the arc. Van Lith's teammates failed to do their part, though, combining for 31 points in the defeat.

MiLaysia Fulwiley starred for the Gamecocks, scoring 20 points off the bench. She shot 8-of-15 from the floor, including 1-of-3 from the 3-point area. Raven Johnson and Te-Hina Paopao also contributed, each scoring 11 points, while Tessa Johnson added 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting.