South Carolina coach Dawn Staley led the No. 3 Gamecocks to a gritty 74-63 win over the Florida Gators on the road on Sunday.
Despite leading 55-48 with 7:29 remaining against the Gators, the Gamecocks were jittery and forced into three consecutive turnovers as the Gators raised the stakes, prompting Staley to call a crucial timeout.
Dawn Staley Reveals Reason Behind Unusual Move
The win continued the Gamecocks’ impressive start to the season, bringing their record to 15-1.
Staley drew up a play during the timeout that resulted in talented South Carolina star Joyce Edwards scoring an easy layup for a 57-48 lead, allowing the Gamecocks to close out the game.
During her postgame news conference, Staley admitted she called a timeout to force her team to play faster on offense and close out the challenging game against their SEC opponents.
“I don’t think I’ve ever used every time-out in a very long time. I’m not a timeout type of coach,” Staley said. “We couldn’t function well. I think we were a little fatigued. I think we kind of just needed to reset and give a more familiar play. I think we came out of time-out and scored.
“I was hoping that that would be the play that actually gives us the momentum to keep going. But sometimes you just gotta grind it out and win the game, no matter how it looks.”
Despite closing out the win, South Carolina managed just seven baskets in the fourth quarter, while committing seven turnovers. To further emphasize the Gators’ defensive doggedness, the Gamecocks finished the SEC clash with a season-low in their previously dominant field goal percentage (34.3%).
Staley Defends Gamecocks’ Ugly Win
The Gamecocks were pushed to the limit by the Gators, allowing a season-high 21 turnovers in a gritty SEC matchup. During her postgame news conference, Staley further defended the manner in which the Gamecocks won the game against Florida.
“We got sped up. Just that kind of game. Sometimes when it’s that kind of game, you’ve got to go with it,” Staley said. “You’ve got to find a way to win a game, no matter how ugly it looks.
“And then you win ugly, and you go home, and you figure some things out, and hopefully you can correct some things and hope that it doesn’t lead to another performance like this. But I like the win in the end.”
Staley’s Gamecocks will travel to Fayetteville on Thursday to battle the Arkansas Razorbacks (11-6)Â as their SEC slate heats up.