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The Ws
Who: #1 South Carolina (10-0) at Bowling Green (6-2)
When: 7:00 pm, Tuesday, December 19
Where: Stroh Center, Bowling Green, OH
Watch: ESPN+
1. More Defense
After South Carolina’s 114-76 win over Maryland, Dawn Staley was less impressed by the record-setting offense and more concerned with lackluster defense.
She didn’t like how easily Maryland, and Notre Dame in the season-opener, had gotten by the initial defender and forced the Gamecocks to help.
Since then South Carolina has not allowed another opponent to reach 70 points. Even Utah only scored 69, despite Alissa Pili being virtually unguardable in that game.
South Carolina has held five opponents to 40 points or less, including limiting Presbyterian to 29 and Mississippi Valley State to 19. The Gamecocks are starting to look like the defensive juggernaut they have long been known as.
“We’re pretty good, but we’re progressing,” Staley said. “We’re actually able to scheme because we’re able to scramble. We’re also able to detail little things that our players are able to pick up, even the youngsters.”
The Gamecocks now lead the nation in field goal percentage defense (28.6%) and are seventh in the nation in points allowed (49.9).
2. More Sakima
Sakima Walker scored a season-high 12 points against Presbyterian, including a pair of coast-to-coast layups off turnovers. She also went 4-4 from the foul line.
Walker has played in all ten games, but her minutes have fluctuated from as little as two minutes to nearly 16. Staley insisted the inconsistent playing time isn’t Walker’s fault.
“I really had to tell her that you’re doing what you’re supposed to do,” Staley said. “I should look bad for not playing you, because every time you step on the floor you do something that is eye-opening.”
Walker is caught in a numbers game. Kamilla Cardoso is entrenched as the starting post, and as arguably South Carolina’s best player, Staley needs Cardoso on the court as much as possible. The emergence of Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins further eats into the minutes available in the frontcourt.
“The post numbers are just so cluttered that we don’t forget about her contributions because she does it every day in practice,” Staley said after the Presbyterian game. “The things that she was able to do out there today are the very things we’re asking all of our post players to improve on.”
Staley said she would be comfortable playing Walker and Cardoso together, but there aren’t many other teams that play two bigs together.
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3. Fulwiley vs the clock
MiLaysia Fulwiley’s layups get most of the attention, but she has also developed a knack for hitting buzzer-beaters.
It began in the exhibition against Rutgers when Fulwiley hit a 25-footer to end the first half. Against Duke, she stole the ball near midcourt and hit a running shot to end the first half. She missed one at the end of the first quarter against Presbyterian, but Fulwiley hit another runner to end the second quarter.
“I feel like my team, my coaches, they have faith in me that I’m going to make the shot,” Fulwiley said. “Once I get the ball and time is going down, I just put up the shot I just shoot it like I want it to go in. It happens to go in quite often.”
Buzzer-beaters aren’t an official stat (and I feel like I’m forgetting one of Fulwiley’s), but they seem to come in bunches.
Tyasha Harris had a stretch where she hit a few during the 2019-20 season, as did Destanni Henderson. Khadijah Sessions, now a Gamecock assistant who is mentoring Fulwiley, hit several during her senior season.
Fulwiley seems to be ahead of all of them.
4. MACtion!
Tuesday nights are normally reserved for football MACtion, but tonight we get women’s basketball. You don’t see too many SEC teams play at MAC teams, but South Carolina needed a game, so Staley phoned a friend.
Former assistant coach Fred Chmiel, now in his first season at Bowling Green, was willing to make room on the schedule for a home-and-home series.
For Bowling Green, the game is the highlight of its nonconference schedule, if not the whole season. The Falcons have never hosted a number one team before, and Santa Claus will be in attendance.
South Carolina will present Chmiel with his Final Four ring from last season.
“Fred was always one that got super excited when he got his national championship ring, or any ring,” Staley said. “We get to give him his (Final Four) ring in front of the people that help make him a great coach. Hopefully, their players will strive to get championships under Fred. It will be good to see him again.”
Bowling Green is about 20 miles southwest of Toledo, Zia Cooke’s hometown, and about two hours north of Dayton, Bree Hall’s hometown. There should be some fans of both players (and Cooke might attend) to make Chmiel feel like he’s back at South Carolina.
“Probably the one unfortunate thing is the weather,” Staley said. “I know he’s freezing.”
High temperatures Tuesday are in the 30s, with lows in the 20s.
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5. Scouting the Falcons
Bowling Green is not a big name in women’s basketball, but the Falcons have traditionally been a solid program. They made the Sweet 16 in 2007 and have made the NCAA Tournament 11 times.
Last season, Bowling Green went 31-7, finished second in the MAC, and made it to the WNIT Fab Four. After the season, coach Robyn Fralick was hired away by Michigan State.
The cupboard was far from bare when Chmiel got the job, so Staley thinks the Falcons look more like a continuation of last season’s squad than a junior version of the Gamecocks. Still, she expects a wrinkle or two from Chmiel.
“We’re going to be who we are. We’re ten games in, I don’t think you can scheme enough, we’re going to be who we are. They, however, had probably eight or ten days off, so they’ll probably put in something new. We’re anticipating that, but at the end of the day, you’re going to be who your habits have been.”
Senior guard Lexi Fleming leads the Falcons in scoring (17.4) and rebounding (4.9)
Chmiel coached bigs at South Carolina, but Bowling Green is perimeter-oriented. Fleming is one of four players who has made at least 10 threes this season, and all shoot at least 33%. South Carolina will have to chase the guards defensively, but the mismatch is inside, where Bowling Green has just one player taller than 6-0.
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