Fans show love to Chloe Kitts after redemption game for Dawn Staley's Gamecocks: "Coach Dawn is slowly but surely creating a monster"

Chloe Kitts has finally found her rhythm. The junior forward ended her shooting slump on Sunday, leading the South Carolina Gamecocks to a 95-68 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum. Kitts scored 17 points and grabbed 10 boards, helping the Gamecocks extend their winning streak to nine games.

It was Kitts' first double-double since Dec. 5, when she recorded 21 points and 11 rebounds in South Carolina's 81-70 win over the Duke Blue Devils. Kitts shot 7-for-12 from the field against the Bulldogs and made all three of her attempts at the charity stripe.

Kitts entered the game in poor form, having scored just four points in total in the Gamecocks' last three games. She went scoreless against Charleston Southern on Dec. 19 had mediocre two-point outings in the wins over Wofford and Missouri.

College hoops fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to praise Chloe Kitts after she broke out of her slump against Mississippi State.

"Did I just see a turnaround fade with ease??!! Coach Dawn is slowly but surely creating a monster," one fan said.

"I had a feeling today was going to be payday for Chloe. So proud of her and how hard she has been working," another fan said.

"Told you!!! BIG CHLOE!!!" one fan said.

Here are some other reactions from fans.

"Keep working hard kid!" one fan said.

"Chloe be ballin out there," another fan said.

"Chloe Kitts. Stepped up big and we needed it. She’s key to how South Carolina goes. They feed off her energy and rightfully so. She’s been that go to player since the season started," one fan said.

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Dawn Staley praises Chloe Kitts and Tessa Johnson for stellar performances against Mississippi State

Tessa Johnson also had a big game off the bench for No. 2 South Carolina, scoring a career-high 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting. She was lights out from beyond the arc, knocking down four of her six 3-point attempts. It was Johnson's first 20-point game of the season.

South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley talks to guard Tessa Johnson during the first half of their game against the LSU Lady Tigers at Pete Maravich Assembly Center (Credits: IMAGN)

Dawn Staley was delighted to see Johnson and Chloe Kitts break out in the game against Mississippi State. The South Carolina coach told reporters in the postgame press conference that both of them were "due" and she was truly happy "they had these kind of performances."

"Chloe’s been trying," Staley said [3:12]. "Chloe works her butt off. Sometimes she doesn’t reap the benefits of her hard work through stats. She got them today."

The Gamecocks dug deep against the Bulldogs, who had a 34-26 lead with 4:01 remaining in the first half. South Carolina battled back, unleashing a 33-2 run bridging the second and third quarters to establish a commanding 59-36 advantage. The Gamecocks cruised to victory after that to improve their record to 14-1.