WATCH: Dawn Staley covers her face in frustration despite South Carolina’s 31-point lead vs Iowa State
One would expect Dawn Staley to enjoy a situation where her South Carolina team has a 31-point lead against any opponent. However, the Gamecocks' head coach was far from pleased with a play during their game against the No. 15 Iowa State Cyclones earlier today, hinting that she expects nothing less than perfection from her roster.
The Gamecocks led the Cyclones 62-29 with 6:52 to go in the fourth quarter thanks to No. 2 recruit Joyce Edwards' layup, before Audi Crooks cut the lead down to 31 with a jumper 23 seconds later.
With 6:23 to go on the clock, sophomore Tessa Johnson turned the ball over, which left Staley frustrated with her head in her hands as she could scarcely believe that the turnover actually happened.
The Fox College Hoops X account, which shared the clip, also added a Thanksgiving-themed caption to Staley's reaction:
"When mom says the food isn't ready yet"
The Cyclones failed to take advantage of the turnover. Instead, Edwards capitalized on Emily Ryan's mistake with a steal, and the Gamecocks covered the court in just five seconds as Sania Feagin made a layup at the other end to extend the lead to 33 with 5:55 to go in the fourth quarter.
Staley and the Gamecocks wound up winning the game, 76-36.
Dawn Staley and South Carolina come up with strong response to UCLA defeat
The Gamecocks endured a difficult loss on the road, with the UCLA Bruins scoring a comprehensive 76-62 victory over the reigning national champions in Los Angeles on November 24.
While Dawn Staley was upset with Johnson's turnover, she should be pleased with their overall performance in Fort Myers, as the Gamecocks thoroughly dominated a ranked opponent to open the Fort Myers Tipoff earlier today.
“We just needed to put a complete game together,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said postgame, per the News-Press. “Obviously, there were some lapses in the UCLA game that weren’t characteristic of us. We wanted to make sure that we played very similarly with our rotations, and how we would guard.”
Feagin and Edwards ran the show for the Gamecocks in Florida, top-scoring for Staley's side with 13 points each. Edwards continued her fine start to her freshman season against the Cyclones, coming off the bench to record a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, while also recording three steals in her 23-minute performance.
Sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley finished with eight points and five rebounds off the bench, while Ashlyn Watkins finished with six points, eight rebounds, two steals and a block to hold down the Cyclones and improve their record to 6-1 this season.
The Gamecocks will face the Purdue Boilermakers in their final game of the Fort Myers Tipoff on November 30 at 11:00 AM ET before returning to Columbia to take on Duke in the SEC-ACC Challenge on December 5.