Recapping everything Dawn Staley said before South Carolina faces Vanderbilt near end of season

Dawn Staley spoke to the media on Friday ahead of the sixth-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks' clash with the Vanderbilt Commodores at Memorial Gymnasium on Sunday. Staley’s interview comes one day after the Gamecocks crushed the Arkansas Razorbacks by 40 points to improve their record to 24-3.

Staley opened her news conference by imploring her defense to step up on the road against Vanderbilt's talented scorers.

"We have to play our defense," Staley said (Timestamp 0:11). "We have to be disciplined. They got really, really great scorers that we have to disrupt, that we have to just kind of cut the production down."

One of the Vanderbilt scorers Staley highlighted is Mikayla Blakes. She has been on fire lately, averaging 32.3 points in her last seven games. The South Carolina coach explained why the freshman guard is so difficult to stop nowadays.

"It’s hard to stop. You’re unafraid," Staley said (Timestamp 0:51). "You have no fear of missed shots. You have no fear of turning the ball over. You have no fear. So it’s kind of hard when you’re running up against a player like that."

Dawn Staley also discussed her team's energy and focus during practice following South Carolina's 95-55 win over Arkansas.

"It’s good. We’re focused," Staley said (Timestamp 1:26). "I mean we’re not perfect but we’re focused and when we have the level of focus that we have, we’re going to be disciplined on both sides of the basketball and we’re going to play cleaner basketball."

Dawn Staley praised her team’s defense for fueling the win over the Razorbacks.

"When you can steal some points. When you create them from defense, it just helps all the way around," Staley said (Timestamp 1:56). "It helps put a team back on their heels. It helps not put so much pressure on your half-court offense to execute."

Dawn Staley also discussed her first book and her decision to write Uncommon Favor during this time in her career.

"One, I just got tired of people asking me. Two, I had to do it before I forgot everything. Three, I think the season that we had last year made me really thankful of what I described as the right uncommon favor career. Just kind of put that in context of my life and share it with people."

Previewing Vanderbilt's clash against Dawn Staley's South Carolina

The weekend showdown will be the 44th meeting between Vanderbilt and South Carolina, with the Gamecocks holding a slight 22-21 edge in the all-time series. However, South Carolina has dominated the matchup recently, winning the last 16 meetings against the Commodores.

South Carolina Gamecocks guard MiLaysia Fulwiley (#12) passes to forward Joyce Edwards (#8) around Arkansas Razorbacks forward Vera Ojenuwa (#22) in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Photo: Imagn

Vanderbilt enters the contest with the seventh-best offense in the country, averaging 84.6 points per game. The Commodores will have their work cut out for them against Dawn Staley's Gamecocks, who are allowing just 57.2 points per game this season.

The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network+ at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday from Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee.