Despite their second leading scorer MiLaysia Fulwiley being benched for the majority of the contest, South Carolina defeated North Carolina, 65-58, on Thursday night in their ACC/SEC Women’s Basketball Challenge game. Fulwiley played only three minutes in the first quarter, during which she was 0 for 1 from the field, with one personal foul and one block to her credit. Following the game, head coach Dawn Staley expressed her displeasure with Fulwiley’s defense. “If you play well, you get extended minutes; if you don’t, that has to go to somebody else,” she stated.

After her Notre Dame exhibition, the benching of MiLaysia led to a serious carousel of questions posted towards Dawn Staley. The coach faced them with logical back-ups.

Dawn Staley talks about MiLaysia Fulwiley’s minutes

After playing in her first five games, Fulwiley averaged 23.5 minutes per game. At 15.0 points per game and 4.0 rebounds. In addition to 11 turnovers, she has seven blocks, nine steals, and 19 assists this season.

However, Thursday night was not her time to shine. The team needed a better player since Fulwiley suffered in her defensive display. Coach Staley didn’t blink twice as she removed Fulwiley to save the rhythm of the team.

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“From a defensive standpoint, she lost her min a few times and gave up a couple of threes. This was after the victory. … It was such a nip-and-tuck game, and I don’t want her to lose confidence—I know that’s definitely one of the things she has to work on. She will understand precisely why her minutes were not extended.”

“I’ve always told our players that they will get more playing time if they perform well. They have to go to someone else if you don’t. Sometimes it might be you, and other times it might not be you.”

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The coach acknowledged that while South Carolina is ranked no. 1 in the country; the players are still young. She hopes to see Fulwiley improve and play some extended minutes.

The player may not have had the best outcome on Thursday night, but one cannot sideline her Notre Dame performance. It even earned her shout-outs from Magic Johnson and Kevin Durant on social media.

Fulwiley became a must-watch in the first 10 minutes of her college career

During the current NCAA season, South Carolina’s matchup with Notre Dame in Paris gave the impression that a new generation of basketball players was emerging. Due to their exceptional performances, the rookies on both teams took center stage. However, MiLaysia Fulwiley, a point guard from South Carolina, stood out during her debut.

She made a tremendous impression with her incredible lay-up performance, which featured racing coast-to-coast, quickly dishing to Kamilla Cardoso in the post, and going up and under the final defender. She accomplished all of this within the first ten minutes of her college career debut.

But given her coach’s stance now, it looks like Fulwiley has to up her game to maintain the momentum she created with her impressive performance at Notre Dame.

Read More: Who’s MiLaysia Fulwiley? Why’s Magic Johnson Ranking Her Above NBA Superstars, Including LeBron James and Stephen Curry?