South Carolina women’s basketball finds itself in a highly contested road battle against No. 6 Texas on Sunday at the Moody Center.
A matchup between two of the top women’s college basketball teams and a preview of a potential postseason contest — SEC championship, Final Four or national championship — however, was impacted by the whistle in the first quarter: 16 combined fouls.
The outcome of the first quarter caused a rather fiery Dawn Staley during an in-game interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe going into the start of the second quarter.
“People are here to see the players play. I know I can speak for (Texas coach) Vic (Schaefer) in this, either our team or their team, let the players play,” Staley said. “The (TV) viewership and people want to see the players make the plays that make the game.”
Of the 16 fouls that were called in the first quarter of Sunday’s SEC showdown, nine of them were called against South Carolina: two each on Te-Hina PaoPao, Sania Feagin and Maryam Dauda while Chloe Kitts, Bree Hall and Raven Johnson were each assessed one. There were 22 combined free throws attempted in the first quarter by the Gamecocks and Longhorns.
“I’m going to continue talking to my players that we are not going to adjust, K? Because this is how we play,” Staley continued.
At the time of this writing, the Gamecocks are currently trailing the Longhorns 40-36 in the third quarter on the road led by MiLaysia Flulwiley’s seven points on 2-of-5 shooting from the field, while going 3-for-6 from the free throw line.
If the Gamecocks can come from behind Sunday and pick up a top-10 road win, Staley’s squad will extend their SEC win streak to 58 consecutive games — a streak that dates back to Jan. 2, 2022, against Mississippi State.
