COLUMBIA – Kinks have become problems. The rust has rotted.
Defeats are a way of amplifying the problems that were present in three consecutive victories at the beginning of the season, especially when it is the first time that South Carolina, in the ranking, has lost in more than a year.
The future-ex-No. 1 Gamecocks were blown 54-46 by No. 8 NC State on Thursday, which can be described in several ways. USC (3-1) had won 29 straight, the Wolfpack (3-0) is a great team, sometimes the ball bounces funny…
What must be said is that the USC is just as talented as it was when it reached the top of world women’s basketball last season, but there is much more to this group than veterans Ty Harris and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan.
“We just didn’t have a flow. We were a team that I had never seen before, ”said coach Dawn Staley. “I have never coached a team with this performance. It was collective basketball.
“We are going to have to work things out.”
Gamecocks had no aspect of offensive rhythm on Thursday, their chance to throw the ball to All-American Aliyah Boston taken away by the state defense zone. Boston, the unanimous national freshman of the year from last season, looked hesitant and unsure when she managed to put the ball on the post and scored seven of her nine points in 20-foot shots.
“They went in every time the ball hit the post,” said Boston. “I think we just needed to hit a few external shots or I personally needed to go deeper into the post and just go up, even if twice as much came.”
The USC controlled the state’s All-American center, Elissa Cunane, dominating it with contact and swarming weapons, and yet Wolfpack still went through USC for guard-produced layups.
It was fitting that the only Gamecock who looked ready for the challenge was Laeticia Amihere, who scored 11 points and 15 rebounds. A prominent recruit, Amihere was primarily a spectator of last year’s race while recovering from knee surgery. Now that she has been released, she is fearless and productive.
“I don’t think it’s as much what they did as we did,” said Amihere. “It is really what we are doing. We all know what we have to do to improve. “
The rest of the list was confused and out of sync. Neither team fired well (each was below 30 percent), but Gamecocks players were anything but.
Zia Cooke scored 11 points out of 4 out of 18 shots. Destanni Henderson, the MVP of the USC’s 2-0 showing at last week’s tournament in South Dakota, scored two out of 1 out of 13 shots.
It was a game, and it is important to note that the USC lost this time last year and did not lose again the rest of the season. But it felt like a distant world on Thursday.
“I think it will open our eyes to see where we need to be and how we need to play each time we hit the ground,” said Staley. “At 21, I never felt what I felt during the game. Just uncoachable, untamed, unheard, just a selfish joke. Selfish game that we will fix between now and Sunday. I promise you that. “
Looking forward
Gamecocks are ranked 23rd in the state of Iowa on Sunday, as part of the SEC / Big 12 Challenge.
Follow David Cloninger on Twitter @DCPandC.