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PARIS - South Carolina women's basketball made a clear statement in Monday's 100-71 win over No. 10 Notre Dame: This is not a rebuilding year.
The No. 4 Gamecocks (1-0) trailed the Irish for much of the first quarter at Halle Georges Carpentier Arena with an entirely new starting lineup on the floor from last season's Final Four squad. It didn't take long for the group to settle in though, and South Carolina led by 25 points by the end of the third quarter.
Star center Kamilla Cardoso led the team with a double-double, recording 20 points and 15 rebounds plus four blocks. Oregon transfer Te-Hina Paopao wasn't far behind with 14 points, six assists and three steals shooting 50% from 3-point range in her Gamecocks debut.
MiLaysia Fulwiley Shines In South Carolina debut:
MiLaysia Fulwiley's performance could be summarized in a single play: Late in the first half, the freshman guard drove towards the basket, flipped the ball behind her back and drained an alley-oop layup through three Notre Dame defenders. It was one of a dozen highlight-reel plays Fulwiley made, finishing with 17 points, six assists and a team-high six steals.
Fulwiley can be turnover-prone, but she didn't give up the ball once in the first half despite six turnovers from the rest of the team and had just one in the game. She went 8-of-14 from the field and earned shoutouts from Magic Johnson and Kevin Durant on social media to boot.
Gamecocks Maintain Defensive Dominance:
Despite losing four of its top five rebounders from last season, South Carolina remains a force to be reckoned with in the paint. Cardoso led the way with her career-high 15, divided between six offensive and nine defensive boards. Sophomore Ashlyn Watkins added five, four of which were defensive, and the team out-rebounded Notre Dame defensively 31-23.
The Gamecocks also forced turnovers consistently: Fulwiley and Paopao combined for nine steals, while Watkins and Cardoso combined for eight of the team's 11 blocks. The Irish gave up 18 turnovers to South Carolina's 14 and the Gamecocks scored 26 points off of those.
Young lineups find footing after early errors
Cardoso is the only senior on South Carolina's roster this season, and the Gamecocks used three of their five underclassmen for at least 10 minutes against the Irish. The group struggled at the start, giving up six turnovers before halftime and allowing 13 points to Notre Dame freshman Hannah Hidalgo in the first quarter alone. However, once the first-game jitters settled, the Gamecocks never looked back.
Fulwiley was the obvious breakout star, but junior Sania Feagin looked dominant across her 14 minutes with 12 points and four rebounds. Notre Dame had difficulty keeping up with her footwork, particularly in the offensive paint, and she was second on the team with three offensive rebounds. Sophomore Chloe Kitts also had a solid showing in her first career start, finishing with seven points shooting 2-of-3 and two blocks in 13 minutes.
By Emily Adams of the Greenville News
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