No. 4 South Carolina 99, Purdue women's basketball 51: Takeaways
Destini Lombard scored 19 of her 24 points in the second half but the Gamecocks had commanding lead by halftime
Three takeaways from Saturday’s loss in Fort Myers, Fla.
SUFFOCATING DEFENSE
When the Gamecocks turn up the defensive pressure, look out. They didn’t seem fully engaged in the first part of the game, but it was over once South Carolina ramped up the defense. The Gamecocks applied ball pressure. They owned the passing lanes. They didn’t let the Boilermakers have much room to move. South Carolina’s defense makes its whole operation function at a high level, and the Gamecocks thrive in transition. That’s why you see a 30-6 run in the second quarter when Dawn Staley’s team dominated in every area. But the Boilermakers didn’t help themselves. They weren’t strong with the ball. They didn’t handle the physicality. They didn’t get back in transition, even though South Carolina has more quickness. They rushed their shots on offense because they weren’t comfortable. It led to plenty of turnovers, points off those mistakes, and a ton of production in the paint. They also dealt with early foul trouble. Reagan Bass and Lana McCarthy picked up two - a couple were questionable - but they missed most of the first half. Purdue had no chance with two of its best players on the bench for an extended period and couldn’t lean on its inside game.
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POINT GUARD
Did Katie Gearlds signal a possible shift in who plays a majority of minutes at point guard to start the second half? Rashunda Jones started the game at the point, but Amiyah Reynolds began the second half. She was joined by Ella Collier, Reagan Bass, Lana McCarthy, and Destini Lombard. Reynolds wasn’t going to bring the Boilermakers back from 35 points by herself, but they need cleaner play from the position. Jones was erratic on Saturday - she wasn’t the only one - and has been inconsistent throughout the season. The long-term plan always centered around Reynolds taking over that position once she’s comfortable after missing 17 months dealing with a foot injury. Reynolds probably isn’t ready to play for 25-30 minutes, but it will be interesting if her time at the position increases during the next month.
LOMBARD SHINES
Destini Lombard continues to show she will have a solid season after transferring from Stephen F. Austin. She finished with 24 points and was able to match up with South Carolina’s athletic ability. Granted, Lombard scored 19 points in the second half - and that’s not diminishing her production when the game was out of hand - but she belonged on the court with the Gamecocks. That wasn’t the case for everyone. That should be a good sign for the Boilermakers the rest of the way, even though we’ve seen enough evidence to indicate Lombard is an impactful player. She was 4 of 5 from 3-point range, including 3 of 3 in the second half. Overall, Purdue was 7 of 13 from beyond the arc. Ella Collier was another player who belonged. When the offense ran half-court sets, Collier could come off screens, and she wasn’t rushed in taking her shots. She played with composure for the most part. She finished with nine points. When the Big Ten season starts, the Boilermakers will need more players to find a greater comfort level on the offensive end to find success.
THIS AND THAT
Four players weren’t available for Saturday’s game - Jordyn Poole, Mila Reynolds, Mahri Petree and Jayla Smith. Petree missed her second straight game. … The 48-point loss is the second largest in program history behind the 50-point setback to UConn in 2008. … South Carolina scored 32 points off 20 Purdue turnovers, won the rebounding by 30, generated 26 second-chance points, and totaled 66 points in the paint. … The Gamecocks placed seven players in double figures.
NEXT FIVE GAMES
Dec. 4: Maine, 7 p.m.
Dec. 7: Maryland, 2 p.m.
Dec. 14: Kentucky, 5 p.m.
Dec. 17: at Miami (Ohio), 7 p.m.
Dec. 21: Indiana State, 2 p.m.