6:30 PM
During the halftime speech of the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was calm, according to junior guard Zia Cooke.
"She gave us a few plays that she thought would work for us, and we were down by three points at the break," said Cooke. We were in the game. She kept us motivated.
Maybe Staley reminded the team that they are a really good team. South Carolina won its first game in a No. 1 vs. 2 game in program history by beating Connecticut 73-57.
Most teams don't play against the Gamecocks. South Carolina was down 13 in the first half, which is usually a big danger zone for opponents. It is very difficult to reel them in once they have a large lead. The deficit was 36-33 at the half.
Their second-half defense was very good, holding the University of Connecticut to 21 points. The Gamecocks took smart shots and cut down on their turnovers.
South Carolina has three victories over top 10 teams. In December, the Gamecocks play Maryland and then face off against the Cardinal and the Huskies in January.
We learned a lot from Monday's game and how it will affect the two teams going forward.
South Carolina's defense wears teams down.
You can do it to anyone if you can do it to the University of Connecticut. The cumulative effect of the plays South Carolina made at that end of the court is what makes the difference.
The defense did a great job for 40 minutes. You didn't see the impact in the first half. The third and fourth quarters are when you start to see what our defense does.
South Carolina limited the Connecticut team to three points in the fourth quarter and 21 in the second half. For the second game in a row, the Huskies scored 60 or fewer points.
Does she think this team's defense is the best she has ever had? Is it better than the defense of the team that won the national championship in 2017: had players like A'ja Wilson and Allisha Gray?
Everyone on the team contributes to the defense, including Aliyah Boston, who had 22 points and 15 rebound.
"You're going to get me in a little bit of trouble, but yes, this is the best and the deepest," joked Staley, who had to pick one group over another.
The 21 points in the second half were all that said it all.
Christyn Williams said that the defense was very aggressive. We weren't making the right reads at the right time.
The offense of the University of Connecticut has work to do.
It's just one game. South Florida lost to the Huskies 60-53 on Sunday. It's the first time since 2012 that the University of Connecticut has been held to less than 60 points.
The starting guards for the University of Connecticut scored 43 of its 57 points on Monday. The starting forwards Aaliyah Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa combined for 12 points.
The coach said that having a junior player out with an injury would have helped. He acknowledged that this was more an execution problem than a personnel problem.
The first half saw South Carolina turnovers and misses that helped the Huskies score in transition. When the Gamecocks tightened up on their mistakes in the second half, they weren't as good. A lot of credit goes to the South Carolina defense.
In the fourth quarter, we couldn't really get in a flow, and it was difficult for us, according to Russell. We knew what we were doing, but we didn't get into it.
Geno is going to be the same person.
Auriemma sounded harsh to those not familiar with his methods when he was asked about Bueckers' performance.
"I don't think she was very good today, to be honest with you," he said. There were a lot of great moments in the first half. She was not much of a factor for the entire second half. I don't know if she just got tired or if she was worn down. It wasn't the same as we're used to seeing.
Play.
The easy floater was dropped by the UConn's Paige Bueckers.
She played 38 minutes Monday and was still the leader in scoring and assists, and tied for the lead in rebound. This is part of Auriemma's formula, which is time-tested and has been successful with so many other stars. They get challenged a lot.
Auriemma wants Bueckers to look at the loss and see what she could have done better. He puts his team in impossible situations, like 5-on-8, to see how they respond.
Auriemma said that the Huskies were "really, really good" for 30 minutes before things fell apart in the fourth quarter. If her team was considered "really, really good" for three-fourths of the game, Bueckers wouldn't have been that bad. The need for another perimeter shooting threat to blossom to help Bueckers was talked about by Auriemma. Two of the three 3-pointers were from Westbrook and Bueckers.
Sue Bird told a story about how Auriemma told her before her sophomore season, "Anything that we do wrong is going to be your fault." It was his way of appealing to her. Bueckers knows that she is facing a similar tactic.
South Carolina's bench can be very strong.
The depth of the Gamecocks' defense helps. The bench is an asset all the way around. The 11 points and 10 rebound from the reserves made a difference.
The Amihere and Cardoso are both large and disruptive, and they seem to accept their roles. They would be starting on a lot of teams, but having them come off the bench is a big plus for the Gamecocks.
Play.
South Carolina's Destiny Littleton hit a 3-pointer late in the third quarter to give her team the lead.
The guard hit two of South Carolina's five 3-pointers. When the Gamecocks couldn't get much going from long range, it made it easier to defend them.
The team doesn't need a lot from out there, but it does need the threat. One of the players who can give it is Littleton.
They were so weak that they dared us to shoot it or drive downhill. It was a lot of people in there. We had to find a way to get someone in there that could hit a shot. We know that Destiny Littleton is open minded.
After she didn't play much in South Carolina's previous Battle 4 Atlantis games, she was praised for staying ready by the coach. She played 15 minutes.
She didn't, and that's what a player like that can do. She called out the plays and how to defend in the last two games. She was ready. The situation called for her to stretch the floor. This is going to be a confidence booster for her.
It's a pity that freshman guard Raven Johnson is out for the season with a knee injury. She would have made the bench deeper. It's still a big weapon.
We can look forward to the second one.
With Boston's dominance as a post, the elite two-way attack of Cooke and Henderson at guard, and get-the-dirty-work-done nature of guard Beal and forward Saxton, the Gamecocks have a very cohesive starting five, along with the aforementioned bench. South Carolina has challenges in both the nonconference and SEC schedules.
Next month, the University of Connecticut faces two ranked opponents, as well as an annual clash with Notre Dame. After Big East play starts, the University of Connecticut will have marquee games against Oregon, South Carolina and Tennessee.
It will be good to see how the teams have improved since the first game, when they played in Columbia, South Carolina.
