“We just needed to put a complete game together”: Dawn Staley offers insight on South Carolina’s electric 76-36 win over Iowa State
The defeat to UCLA on Sunday was a warning call for Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks, and they certainly heeded the message.
In their next game on Thanksgiving Day, the defending national champion put on an absolute clinic, dismantling No. 15 Iowa State 76-36. This was one of the biggest margins of victories in a top-25 matchup for No. 4 South Carolina, who is 6-1 on the season.
In the first game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off, the Gamecocks were in complete control from the opening tip, jumping out to a 19-3 lead in the first quarter and expanding their advantage to 35-9 by halftime.
South Carolina's stifling defense forced the Cyclones into 19 turnovers while shooting just 23.1% from the floor.
"We just needed to put a complete game together," Staley said. "Obviously, there were some lapses in the UCLA game that weren’t characteristic of us. So, we wanted to make sure that we played very similarly with our rotations and how we would guard.
"We didn't score a whole lot of points. There wasn't a whole lot of flash to what we were doing. It was fundamental basketball — fundamental defensively and fundamental offensively."'
Dawn Staley says UCLA loss spurred growth, not panic, for South Carolina
The UCLA Bruins climbed to No. 1 in the AP poll after their 77-62 victory over former No. 1 South Carolina, which fell to No. 4. The Bruins ended the Gamecocks' 43-game winning streak and handed them their first loss since the 2023 Final Four.
Dawn Staley was confident that her team would show no sign of panic after the defeat and would respond the right way, which they did by defeating Iowa State by 40 points on Thursday.
"That’s what a team does. This is a resilient group," Dawn Staley said postgame. "This is a team that obviously hasn’t dealt with a whole lot of losing. It’ll shake you for a moment."
"We’ve got a 24-hour rule. Bask in the glory of a defeat, and you handle a defeat. But you handle it with grace, and you hand it with learning lessons. Things were exposed, and hopefully we can fill some of those holes and get back to happier times."
Joyce Edwards, a freshman forward for South Carolina, recorded a double-double with a career-high 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting and 11 rebounds in the win over the Cyclones. MiLaysia Fulwiley, coming off the bench again, scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds.