Recapping everything Dawn Staley said after South Carolina qualified for the SEC tournament semi-finals beating Vanderbilt

South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley acknowledged that they faced some difficulties against Vanderbilt, but expressed her satisfaction with the win.

South Carolina qualified for the semi-finals of the SEC tournament after beating the Commodores 84-63 at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

While the scoreline hints that it was a comfortable evening, it was far from the truth, a view that Staley shared after the game.

The Gamecocks head coach revealed she was not happy with their execution in the third quarter, which saw them give up 25 points and score just 13 points.

Staley, who had earlier sounded the alarm over Vanderbilt’s potential before the game, said this at her post-match press conference shared on South Carolina Gamecocks YouTube page.

“I mean it was on us. We did not make good decisions out there and a lot had to do with what Vandy was doing to us,” Staley said when asked about the reason for her frustration in the third quarter.

“They doubled us, they pressured us, they forced us into some turnovers that created some easy baskets for them, that created momentum for them, that cut into our lead.

“Just bad basketball. I mean we mentioned it at halftime. Like we are playing really good basketball. I said really good basketball is contagious and really bad basketball is contagious and we got a chance to see the face of both of them,” Staley added.

But while Staley admitted that Vanderbilt forced them to play badly in the third quarter, she was happy that her players were able to get out of their slump and seal the win in the fourth quarter.

“You know part of that was because of what Vandy was pressuring us to do but part of that was just decision-making plan a little bit faster, which probably Vandy had a lot to do with that,” she continued.

“So I was happy that we could just get a unit in there that could play well together on both sides of the basketball and it took us a little bit of time to figure out what unit that would be,” Staley added.

Chloe Kitts is the star in South Carolina’s win over Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt might have made life difficult for South Carolina in the third quarter, but Staley’s ladies prevailed overall, thanks to their star player, Chloe Kitts.

Kitts led scoring with 25 points while also adding 10 rebounds and two assists. MiLaysia Fulwiley also chipped in 15 points, six rebounds and three assists while Sania Feagin and Joyce Edwards recorded 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Following the win, South Carolina now has a date with the Oklahoma Sooners at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.