Guru’s WBB March Madness - I: Dominating Defense Puts South Carolina Back Into Another Final Four

By Mike Siroky

 

In the state in which she won her first National Championship. Dawn Staley ‘s No. 1 seed held up and made Texas look undermanned, 62-34.

 

Texas is coached by a defensive legend in Vic Schaefer. He was the opposition for Mississippi State in that first title game. He is 3-13 against Staley. Texas scored an NCAA record zero in the fourth, or was it Staley imposed an NCAA record shutout?

 

Texas’s fun run as the last Texas team in the tournament, 21-10.

 

SC won from first to last with great effort. Balance won out, though the SC guards controlled it, 62-34.

 

Texas left Victaria Saxton alone underneath for the opening score. Saxton again, driving for a layup. She scored again, 3-for-3. 

 

Destiny Henderson hit Saxton again and she had eight against a nine average with a minute and a half.  

 

But she did not score again in the half. Another score and it was 20-2 and Texas needed a time out. Focusing defense on Aliyah Boston, a 6-5 All-American, was  not working.

 

Zia Cooke took off on a speed drive, was fouled. Boston missed the layup, but she recovered on the next possession and it was 12-2. Texas had started as wobbly in their previous game.

 

SC was not about to let down. Texas was scoreless for more than four minutes. 

 

Cooke scored. Texas caught a break when they blocked a shot out of bounds and were awarded possession. SC stepped out of bounds, 14-4. Texas was 2-of-10. Cooke fumbled a breakaway all alone.

 

Texas missed two shots on the next possession. Boston earned two free throws on a foul by 6-11 sophomore Celeste Taylor. C’s first foul came on a Leticia Amihere. 

 

Texas muffed the possession. Texas star Charli Collier was 1-for-3, her worst stat of the season.  Amihere took a second foul and went to the bench.

 

It was 18-7 at the quarter. Saxton had eight, with three rebounds, Brea Beal also had three rebounds. SC held Texas to 18 percent from the floor, hitting 57 percent their ownselves.

 

Schaefer breaks down every game to eight five-minute quarters. He was 0-2 convincingly so far. 

 

Dawn Staley always says the game goes through her bigs. 

 

It was working with 16 points underneath, Cooke hit again. 

 

Texas outhustled SC for a rebound but they turned it over. Cooke scored again. The lead was back to 13.

 

 Littleton joined Amihere with two fouls. Saxton finally missed a shot.

 

Joanne Taylor drew a charge from Cooke. Texas scored. SC looked a little unsteady and threw it out of bounds. Collier was 1-for-5. Kyra Lambert cut the lead to seven. Boston hit two free throws, 4-for-4 from the line.

 

Taylor hit two free throws. Her six points led Texas. Cooke hit a step-back jumper. She had eight, 26-17 SC. The Gamecocks battled for a redound, another five-minute segment gone.

 

Schaefer was already conjuring up halftime adjustments. You cannot erase skill. Staley’s concern was the players with two fouls. SC had yet to attempt a 3, keeping with the game plan inside. It is not that they cannot hit 3s, as they been 22-of-32 in recent games.

 

Collier rimmed one in. 28-19. Cooke. SC with 10 with another jumper. 

 

Then she hit a 3 just because, Saxton scored in a 7-0 run, her first points since the opening minute and a half. SC was hitting 60 percent from the field. Texas was half that.

 

Texas had six turnovers in a possession game. Collier elbowed through Saxton and got a second foul.

Staley was unhappy with a forced turnover. Saxton made up for it with her 12^th point on a breakout. 

 

Texas had the final possession. Audrey hit a 3, 37-22 SC. 

 

Cooke had 13 against a 16 average, Saxton was three past her average with 12 on 6-of-7 shooting. Brea Beal, a 6-1 guard, had five defensive rebounds doing the body work underneath.

 

Unless Collier solved the defense, Texas was doomed.

 

SC easily maintained to start the third. Texas was unable to change its ways. 

 

Staley’s plan and skill players were simply better. Cooke hit a nifty twisting over her head layup for her 11th points. 

 

Saxton had 12 with eight rebounds, Boston 10 and seven with two blocks. The Gamecocks led rebounds by 10, having never been outrebounded once this season.

 

Collier had not solved anything and was still at four points. Texas had not yet reached the 37 SC had to start the quarter. Schaefer just wanted to end with some pride. 

 

Did not happen. It grew to 61-34 with three minutes left. 

 

Collier had not scored in the second half, reminding all Schaefer may have the defensive reputation but not against a better program. SC won the fourth, 10-0, hitting 23 percent from the floor. He had approximately 3,000 fans but no homecourt advantage.

 

Cooke led everyone with 16, one of five in double figures. They only needed three 3s.

 

 “It’s been very difficult,” Cooke said, holding the Final Four trophy and the Most Outstanding  Regional designation after the post-game celebration. “We lost four games this season and were able to come back. 

 

“It was very surreal to me. I was just standing there thinking ‘Wow, we’re really going to the Final Four.’  I think defense is what wins games. You need the offensive part too.

 

“It’s even scarier because we’re almost there (Their best game). We are this close. I was very excited at that shot at the end of the third quarter.

 

“We play the way coach is. We have gotta play as a team.”

 

She said they had waited 383 days from the stoppage of last season when the game was suddenly stopped. “Coach said we deserved this,” she said.

 

Staley said Young people are incredibly resilient.

 

“They don’t come fully wrapped. College is to teach them what to do to be successful.

 

“Zia, I love some of the social media points and some of the shots she was taking. You have to teach her how to be more resilient. 

 

“Everyone of our players have gone through something. We had a coach lose her mother while we’re in this bubble. Another lost her uncle. Another has a cancer fight in her family.

“I am glad I am a part of her village.

 

“We just handle it and move on. I do think we are mentally tough. When they do what they did today, that is huge strides.

 

“Once we got the players in here, we had basketball. Do it for the love of the game.

 

“Aliyah (Boston) came in with her eyes wide open. You gotta guard her. She is a presence, she allows the others to be open. She will work to get better in every statistic.

 

“I didn’t realize they hadn’t scored in the fourth quarter until I looked at the paper after the game. It didn’t feel like that.

 

“We appreciate the legacy we were left. We’re going to enjoy this for 24 hours.”

 

Staley has the most wins in conference this season. She is 25-4. 

 

Her advancement breaks another barrier, with two Black women coaches in the national semifinals for the first time ever. 

 

She said she loves to represent for black girls everywhere. As Stanford is  the top No. 1 seed, SC will wear on the road uniforms for the first time.