COLUMBIA — Colonial Life Arena hadn’t been this loud all season.
In the first quarter of a top 15 matchup, fans reacted well to the video board’s directions of “on your feet” after a layup from MiLaysia Fulwiley made it 25-9 with 50 seconds to go.
When Tessa Johnson stole the ball, giving the final shot to South Carolina women’s basketball, the fans quieted to concentrate but once the ball was in Fulwiley’s hands with the clock at eight seconds, the crowds’ anxious murmurs were audible.
Five, four, three, two, swish.
Fulwiley’s 3-pointer from just inside half court to close the first quarter was just the start, and after 40 minutes, the No. 2 Gamecocks took down the No. 13 Sooners, 101-60.
“She’s backing up, so I might as well shoot,” Fulwiley said of what she was thinking at the time. “I can’t get taken out of the game, because it’s a buzzer-beater. I was like, ‘OK, I have eight seconds left. I can either shoot it or drive,’ and I have been driving a lot and I felt like I had to mix it up. I just shot it, and when it went in, I was so excited and I was so happy that my teammates were so excited.”
Fulwiley finished with 15 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the field. The pace that Oklahoma (15-4, 3-3 SEC) looked to play was the perfect recipe for Fulwiley to thrive. She sprinted out in transition to capitalize on rushed passes from the Sooners and she met her opponent at the same level and speed.
Shortly before the 3-pointer, Raven Johnson found Fulwiley in transition, and the 5-foot-10 sophomore jumped in the air, caught the ball and scored in one motion.
The extra effort was there, like when she grabbed the offensive rebound off Te-Hina Paopao’s 3-point miss and went right into Oklahoma’s best player, 6-4 Raegan Beers, to draw the foul.
“I just looked at them, saw the opening in the hole and took it,” Fulwiley said. “Sania (Feagin) told me to go up and don’t worry about getting my shot blocked and that’s what I did today. It worked out for me.”
A difference-maker in Sunday’s game is that Fulwiley’s defensive effort was present as well.
With 5:22 in the first quarter, South Carolina (18-1, 6-0) was ahead only 8-4 when Fulwiley stole the ball from Oklahoma, then got it stolen and took it back. With a defender glued to her hip, she dumped the ball behind her head to Bree Hall under the basket for a layup.
-She logged a career-high seven assists and two blocks to go with the steal. In the third quarter, Oklahoma hit a 3-pointer in Fulwiley’s face, and on the next possession, Lexy Keys tried another from the same spot. Fulwiley closed out harder and blocked the 3-pointer.
“It always makes me feel good when I play on both sides of the court and motivates me to want to do a little bit more, today was one of those days,” Fulwiley said. “I love defense, I’m starting to find my love for defense and I’m excited to see how far I get with it.”
STEPH CURRY PRAISES MILAYSIA FULWILEY: Why Steph Curry sees his game in MiLaysia Fulwiley and is helping South Carolina star get even better
Sunday marked the second straight game scoring above 15 points for Fulwiley. She’s scored in double figures 10 times this season and is averaging 11 per game off the bench.
In four days, she faces two of the highest scoring guards in the SEC when undefeated LSU comes to Colonial Life Arena on Thursday (8 p.m., ESPN). Flau’Jae Johnson is tied for No. 4 in the SEC with 20 points per game, and Aneesah Morrow is No. 6 with 18.6.
Fulwiley has the potential to be the difference maker in the game against the Tigers (20-0, 5-0) and has done so already, like in the SEC Tournament championship last year. Fulwiley scored 24 points in the title game, including back-to-back 3-pointers in the third quarter and the last four on free throws in the final 2:08 minutes to seal the game.
LSU and South Carolina’s battle — which will be featured on ESPN’S College GameDay — is where Fulwiley can thrive if she continues to play with the effort she displayed Sunday on both sides of the ball.
“It always makes me feel good when I play on both sides of the floor,” Fulwiley said. “I felt like I had more in my tank, and I honestly didn’t think I even played as good as I could have.”
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: How MiLaysia Fulwiley’s flashy play led South Carolina past Oklahoma
Related News :