Paopao, Watkins lead No. 1 South Carolina to record 43rd straight win

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Te-Hina Paopao had 13 points and Ashlyn Watkins added 10 points and 11 rebounds as No. 1 South Carolina set a school record with its 43rd straight win, 77-45, over rival Clemson on Wednesday night.

The Gamecocks (5-0) struggled to find the basket for about 15 minutes and trailed 17-12 midway through the second quarter before breaking off a 17-0 run to take control.

South Carolina’s previous best was 42 wins in a row, which started with the 2022 NCAA Tournament where it won the national championship and continued until the 2023 Final Four where it lost to Iowa 77-73.

It was Watkins’ most dominant showing of the season since returning to the team from her suspension.

Loyal McQueen led Clemson (3-1) with 15 points.

Takeaways

South Carolina: Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said Sunday after a win over East Carolina her team misses too many layups. It happened again early at Clemson and needs fixing fast.

Clemson: The Tigers were blown out 109-40 by their rival a year ago. This time, Clemson and first-year coach Shawn Poppie threw a few early scares at the Gamecocks before losing its 14th in a row in the series.

Key moment

Clemson took a 17-12 lead on Mia Moore’s 3-pointer with five minutes left in the second quarter. That’s when South Carolina found its touch to ignite a 17-0 run to the break. The Gamecocks made 8 of 15 shots in that stretch after hitting just six of 29 attempts to that point.

Key stats

South Carolina’s defense was dominant once more as it forced Clemson into a season-high 19 turnovers and outrebounded the Tigers 54-30.

Up next

South Carolina visits No. 5 UCLA on Sunday while Clemson will face UAB at the Emerald Coast Classic on Monday.

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