Missouri Upsets South Carolina 83-74

It was a chilly day, yesterday, outside Mizzou Arena, home of the University of Missouri’s womens basketball team. But inside, University of South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley was hot. The Tigers had just handed the Gamecocks their second loss of the season, 83-74.

Staley was frustrated by the way the referees called the game. She suggested the Tigers were very physical with her players especially All-American A’ja Wilson while it was Wilson who was getting called for fouls. Wilson fouled out of the game as did two Missouri players. After not putting a replacement for Wilson in the game fast enough, Staley received a second technical foul meaning she was ejected from the game and had to leave the court. The U.S. Olympic coach, in post-game comments, reiterated several times that she was just trying to protect her players.

The loss puts the Gamecocks a game back of Mississippi State and Tennessee as conference play begins. Following a mid-week tilt with Auburn, South Carolina will face the No. 7 Lady Vols in Columbia this Sunday.

Take Aways
1. Missouri proved and other teams have shown also that there aren’t just three good teams in the league. While there have been blowouts, expect more competitiveness in the league games going forward. The contests between the three leaders have potential to be epic and will prepare the teams for the NCAA Tournament.

2. Junior Guard Sophie Cunningham was an All-American Honorable Mention last season. If she can stay healthy, she will be one of the top players in the country.

3. The Gamecocks are going to face a lot of teams that are much less talented than they are. To compete, those teams are going to be very physical to try to knock the South Carolina players off their game. Staley’s team will have to adapt.