"We get really careless and undisciplined": Dawn Staley gets real on South Carolina's concerning tendencies and how other teams make the most of it
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was not happy with the consistency of her team's effort after the Gamecocks' 78-62 victory over South South Florida. The Gamecocks led by double digits throughout the third quarter, but they struggled to finish off the Bulls on Sunday.
With the win, No. 3 South Carolina improved to 10-1 on the season, but Staley had plenty of concerns with how her team played, particularly on the defensive end. She addressed the issue head-on after the game.
"I think sometimes when we get out to a quick start, we think it’s going to be a lopsided win," she said (0:16). "So we really just focus on offense. And then we get really careless and undisciplined defensively. And then teams will show you who they are and they capture the momentum of the game and they make you pay."
"I get straight to the point. We were undisciplined. We started reaching. We started gambling."
During Friday's press conference before the game, Dawn Staley highlighted the areas of concern that South Florida would be looking to exploit, and the Gamecocks failed to respond in the manner she had hoped.
"We may have a tendency to not see the full court. They’re going to force us to do that," she said on Friday. "For us, we have to be disruptive. With a team like South Florida, you can’t allow them to just take the shots."
South Carolina turned the ball over 12 times in the game and allowed the Bulls to shoot 39.1% from the field and 55.6% from the 3-point line. They also had fewer offensive rebounds (12) compared to their opponent (17).
Dawn Staley shares one reason why her team struggles to stay consistent
The defending national champion South Carolina team has not quite found its groove yet this season, despite their lofty 10-1 record. At times, they looked vulnerable — a far cry from the dominant squad that won it all last season.
"They’re young, though. They fall victim to just the crowd," Dawn Staley said postgame. "Just offensively, they get really up for making baskets. They forget about how we build our lead and we build our lead on what we’re able to do defensively."
Against South Florida at Colonial Life Arena, Dawn Staley's team looked comfortable going into the second quarter with a 12-point lead. The Bulls tied it up at 19-19 in the second quarter.
The Gamecocks then dominated the third quarter (21-10) but let the Bulls hang around in the fourth before closing out the win.