MiLaysia Fulwiley Stats Tonight - How did Gamecocks star fare vs Missouri? (Jan. 2)

Second-year guard MiLaysia Fulwiley was the sparkplug off the bench in South Carolina's 83-52 blowout of the Missouri Tigers earlier on Thursday. Her contributions were one of the major factors in the Gamecocks winning their first game of 2025 and of the SEC.

Fulwiley pitched in a team-high 17 points on an efficient 7-of-11 shooting to go along with four rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. Playing for 20 minutes, the sophomore was the clear-cut best player of the game for the defending champions despite not being in the starting lineup.

Although the standout slasher did not start the game for her team, Fulwiley was vying to get warm early on as she checked in at the 4:41 mark of the first quarter. Her first point would come from a freebie with which she would make her presence known on the defensive end. Fulwiley's jumper with a little over a minute left in the quarter would give the Gamecocks an 11-point edge, 21-10, to end the frame.

She would be re-inserted back into the game as the Tigers would cut their lead to just two points, 25-23. Fulwiley would not score throughout the period but the 19-year-old was tenacious whenever she would guard her matchup. The Dawn Staley-coached squad would find their momentum once again and lead the game, 36-26, to close the first half.

In the first few minutes of the second half, Fulwiley wouldn't see action on the court but, she was a huge spark with under four minutes left in the third frame. She would immediately convert a full-and-one play and then follow it up with a fastbreak lay-in. Her tallies in the assists, steals and blocks categories would also prove to be integral to the Gamecocks' 59-37 advantage heading into the fourth.

The layover period would see Fulwiley score the majority of her 17 points, starting with a layup at the 8:43 mark. She would continue to fire from offense as the Missouri defense could not keep up. The 5-foot-10 cager would cap off her performance with a tip-in at the 1:16 mark as she did not keep her foot off the gas with South Carolina getting ahead for an 83-52 triumph.

Here's a closer look into MiLaysia Fulwiley's final stats for Thursday's dub:

Player	MP	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FG	3-PT	FT	TO	PF
MiLaysia Fulwiley	20	17	4	2	2	2	7-11	0-2	3-5	1	0

Should MiLaysia Fulwiley continue playing off the bench?

MiLaysia Fulwiley was a part of last year's NCAA national title-clinching squad as a freshman and was able to garner winning experience in just her first stint. But, even with the experience she gained, Dawn Staley has continued to bring her off the bench.

With the Gamecocks only losing one game overall this season, suffering it from a gutsy UCLA Bruins squad, it may seem that Staley will stay reluctant to give Fulwiley a starting nod especially since SEC games are ongoing.

The team has aspirations to repeat as national champions this year, and Fulwiley is just looking to contribute in any way she can. On the year, she is averaging 10.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 1.8 apg in around 17.8 minutes.