Dawn Staley and the No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks weathered a late storm by No. 18 Tennessee on Monday to grab a 70-63 win and improve to 20-1. After the game, Staley broke down what exactly went wrong in the fourth quarter.
"I thought we played too fast and missed some easy shots that we normally make," Staley said. (2:22 onwards) "I thought that halfway through the second quarter we found some easy ways to score once we beat the press. It was just a build up and then that build up was torn down in the fourth quarter."
Staley, who recently signed an extension with the team and is worth $12 million per Celebrity Net Worth, also highlighted her team's bad shot selection on the night as a reason for their lack of scoring at the end of the game.
"Bad shots. Bad shots and bad decisions,” Staley stated. (0:12 onwards) “That can be our nemesis at times. It was today. Fatigue, that’s part of it as well. Their pressure. It was a combination of things."
You can watch her full postgame press conference below.
Dawn Staley's South Carolina edges out Tennessee in close win
Staley celebrated another game in the win column for her team but it wasn't without its challenges. Freshman Joyce Edwards scored 18 points to lead the Gamecocks and hold off a late comeback by Tennessee.
The Tennessee Volunteers started and finished the game strong, but South Carolina controlled the middle portion. That stretch gave them a lead the Volunteers couldn’t overcome.
South Carolina struggled early, missing eight of their first 10 shots and falling behind 5-14 late in the first quarter. But things quickly turned around. The team went on an eight-point run led by Edwards and Maddy McDaniel. This momentum carried into the second quarter, where MiLaysia Fulwiley hit back-to-back three-pointers as part of a 14-0 run.
The Gamecocks were ahead 61-39 early in the fourth quarter, but Tennessee fought back and slowly cut into the lead with a 24-8 run. However, the comeback came too late. With only 14 seconds left, the Volunteers committed a foul and Raven Johnson sealed the win with a free throw.
Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks's next assignment is against Auburn on Sunday.
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