Colonial Life Arena: Kamilla Cardoso scored 13 of her game high 23 points in the third quarter as top ranked South Carolina pulled away from Vanderbilt to a 91-74 win Sunday afternoon in Columbia. The victory was the 16th straight in the series by USC.
The Gamecocks led 18-17 after a quarter, then outscored the Commodores 24-13 in the second quarter with Te-Hina Paopao scoring seven points.
Cardoso dominated the third quarter making all five of her shots from the floor and all three free-throw attempts as the lead grew to 67-49. She did not play in the fourth quarter. Her 23 points tied her career high with the Gamecocks. She also grabbed six rebounds.
Coach Dawn Staley said the game plan was to get Cardoso more shots and wants her to become a more dominant player moving forward through the rest of the season. Cardoso took 14 shots which matches her season high in that category.
Four other Gamecocks scored in double figures. USC shot 51% from the floor, made seven three-pointers and hit 14-18 from the line. They outscored Vandy 48-28 in the paint.
The Gamecocks are now 19-0 overall and 7-0 in the SEC. They have won 51 straight games at home, 38 straight in the SEC, and 34 straight home SEC games.
USC will play at Auburn Thursday night before returning home for games against Ole Miss, Missouri and Connecticit.