“Gonna do some damage in the ACC”: Dawn Staley appreciates Clemson’s great effort in 77-45 loss against South Carolina
Dawn Staley's South Carolina Gamecocks stretched their winning streak to 43 games with a convincing 77-45 win over the Clemson Tigers on Wednesday. Staley acknowledged the Tigers' efforts and had some words of encouragement after the game.
"I think when sometimes you're getting everybody's best at the beginning of the game, and sometimes we get out of sorts. Sometimes we are probably more tight than we need to be," Staley said.
"But once we settle in, we can see things coming at us and we can make adjustments on the fly ... They did get some clean looks off, probably not as many as they would liked. But it was a well-coached basketball team that's probably going to do some damage in the ACC."
The top-ranked Gamecocks had yet another slow start to the game, trailing 10-11 in the first quarter. Dawn Staley previously addressed the reason behind her team's slow start.
"[It’s] just a new team — I mean, it’s the same team, but it’s a new team," Staley said after the win against Coppin State. "The dynamics have changed. The way we do things has changed, especially offensively.
Against Michigan in their opening game, South Carolina struggled to take a lead throughout the first half. Then, on Nov. 10 against NC State, they allowed the opponent to go on a 9-0 run to end the second quarter.
Despite their early struggle, South Carolina eventually found their rhythm and took control of the game, outscoring Clemson 19-6 in the second quarter, 22-14 in the third and 26-14 in the fourth.
Dawn Staley reacts to South Carolina's record 43 straight wins
Dawn Staley's South Carolina beat their previous record of 42 consecutive wins they achieved from 2022 to 2023. The streak ended with a loss to Iowa in the Final Four last year.
The Gamecocks' win over Clemson on Wednesday was their 43rd win in a row, setting a new program record.
"I really don't think about it, but to have two of them, it's pretty special," Dawn Staley said in the postgame press conference. "It means that our players make a commitment to the team.
"When you do it that way, you could have this type of historical moment that you appreciate, but you're in the middle of the season, and we're going to go on the road and play one of the biggest games of our season in a few days. So, 24-hour rule, we'll enjoy it, and then we’ve got to move on," she added.
(from 1:49 mark onwards)
South Carolina will travel to Los Angeles to face No. 5 UCLA on Sunday at Pauley Pavilion.