At one point, the South Carolina Gamecocks couldn’t score field goals to save their life. They shot a season low 34% and were especially inaccurate in the second half on the road against the Florida Gators. They had the same number of made baskets and turnovers in the fourth quarter (7) after just 5 field goals in the third. In an ugly game like this, coach Dawn Staley had to do something she had never done before. 

Florida was always on their heels. South Carolina never led by more than 9 points in the first half and not more than 11 points the entire game. Despite the shoddy work, the Gamecocks managed to eke out a 74-63 win. But Staley had to put in some extra work from the sidelines as they were pushed by the Gators.

“I don’t think I’ve ever used every timeout in a very long time. I’m not a timeout type of coach. We couldn’t function well without it. I think we were a little fatigued. I think we just needed to kind of reset and give them a familiar play,” She said in the post-game press conference.

With a 55-48 lead and 8:25 on the clock, South Carolina pushed the pace, and Raven Johnson made a pass that was too high and too fast for Joyce Edwards in the paint. Then, on the next attacking possession, Maddy McDaniel traveled on a simple pass, giving away the ball very easily without any pressure. After two straight disappointing turnovers, Staley called for a timeout. She drew a play with the ball going to  Edwards inside for a layup, which she made.

“I thought we came out of the timeout and scored, and I was hoping that would be the play that actually gave us the momentum to keep going,” Staley further said. “But sometimes it’s just like you’ve got to grind it out and win the game, no matter how it looks.”

While South Carolina did get some scoring momentum from that play, Florida didn’t back down. The Gators cut it to 7 with a minute left. And Staley would go on to call three more timeouts with Florida pushing them. However, the Gators couldn’t ice their comeback, missing their final 6 shots. It was an ugly game in every sense as Florida made South Carolina uncomfortable. 

Florida’s Pace and Zone Expose Rare Vulnerabilities in Dawn Staley And Co

Florida and South Carolina combined for 41 turnovers in the game. Dawn Staley’s team had a season-high 21 turnovers, which is almost twice their average of 11.9, while coming into this game. The central reason for this spike in turnovers, according to Staley, was that Florida pushed the pace on them. 

“(Florida) made us play faster than our skill set can handle,” Staley said. “I just think we were rushed … we did not handle that part well, we have to get better with that, but I’d rather play us faster than slower.”

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In addition, Kelly Rae Finley employed a strategy that South Carolina and Dawn Staley struggled to break through. Finley employed a disciplined zone defense. Staley’s usual plays of attacking the rim and ball movement proved fruitless as the driving lanes were clogged. For more context, more than 57% of South Carolina’s field goals are two-pointers, and they shoot 71.5% from around the rim (via CBB Analytics).

“Sometimes when it’s that kind of game, you just have to go with it. You’ve got to find a way to win the game, no matter how ugly it looks,” Staley further said. “Then you win ugly, and you go home, and you figure some things out, and hopefully you can correct some things and hope that it doesn’t lead to another performance like this. But I like to win. I like the win at the end.”

In some ways, it was their rim work that saved them. The Gamecocks outrebounded Florida 59-36, including 26-12 on the offensive glass, leading to a 20-9 advantage in second-chance points. However, Staley will need to work on their ability to break the zone. If the Gators had been slightly more accurate, South Carolina could have easily been on the other side. Better teams would give them even more problems with a similar strategy.