Two of the top scoring offenses in the country got together Sunday afternoon as #1-USC and #11-Utah met in the Basketball Hall of Fame women’s showcase at the Mohegan Sun Arena. But defense actually stole the show as the Gamecocks held the Utes nearly thirty points below their season average to pick up a 78-69 win in Uncasville, Connecticut. Carolina led for all but 43 seconds of the game, in improving to 9-0 on the year.
Utah (8-2) entered the game as the nation’s top-scoring offense, averaging 96 points per contest. However, the only player who had any level of success against the Gamecocks was Alissa Pili. The senior transfer from Anchorage, Alaska, dominated inside, scoring 37 points on 15-of-23 shooting from the field. However, Pili’s career day couldn’t offset a 33% shooting effort from the rest of her teammates. USC’s defense also rose to the occasion down the stretch, holding Utah without a field goal in the final 2:53 of the game after the Utes trimmed Carolina’s lead to 69-67.
USC placed four players in double figures, led by Kamilla Cardoso’s 17 points, and blistered the nets, shooting 55% from the field. However, the Gamecocks committed twenty-three turnovers and missed eight layups.
South Carolina is back in action this Saturday afternoon, as it hosts Presbyterian College at 1 p.m.