No. 1 Gamecocks make history while crushing Clemson
Staley, Fulwiley reach milestones, Gamecocks score 100 again
COLUMBIA, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - After a 109-40 win over Clemson, the Gamecocks have scored at least 100 points in all three of their games this season. The first two of those were against top-15 teams in the country in Notre Dame and Maryland.
Thursday night against South Carolina’s in-state rival, 6-foot-7 senior center Kamilla Cardoso flexed following an and-1 in the first quarter. She recorded a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds, along with Ashlyn Watkins, who went for 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Once the fantastic freshman Fulwiley checked in, it was showtime. MiLaysia Fulwiley faked a behind-the-back pass and made a layup, then she threw a behind-the-back pass for a teammate’s layup within a few minutes of entering the game.
“I felt very comfortable actually because Dawn, she tells me all the time in practice, like just be you. Just do what you do, and it will work out for you,” Fulwiley said. “I think when I get in the game, I just remember all the things that she told me in practice and just go hard.”
Fulwiley grabbed 9 rebounds and scored a game-high 18 points, which gave her the most points through a player’s first three career games in Gamecocks history.
“It means a lot, you know, just being in a group full of a whole lot of other talented women who were here,” Fulwiley said. “So, I’m just blessed that I’m in that group, I’m in the talk of that. I honestly didn’t realize that I had until I was doing an interview at the end of the game. But, I’m always blessed for that, and I’m just happy.”
The Gamecocks made more history as Thursday’s win was Head Coach Dawn Staley’s 200th at Colonial Life Arena.
“The people, they come, and they pay their money to watch us play, and they really are entertained. The game was in hand, but no one left the game,” Staley said. “It says something. They love what they’re witnessing. They love cheering us on. And we haven’t lost very much in this building. So it’s a beautiful thing when we’re able to give our fans what they want and walk away with a win.”
The Gamecocks almost made even more history. Sophomore guard Raven Johnson recorded 17 assists, which is 1 shy of the program record.
“That’s the beauty of basketball. Sharing the ball, finding the open person, that’s called poetry in motion,” Johnson said.
Thursday night’s poem finished with the Gamecocks winning their 13th in a row over the Tigers.
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