Kamilla Cardoso keeps South Carolina women's basketball undefeated against Ole Miss

South Carolina Women’s Basketball: News • Recruiting • Schedule • Roster • Stats • SEC Standings • NCAA Polls • Scholarship Chart

---

Kamilla Cardoso scored 10 of her 17 points in the decisive third quarter and #1 South Carolina beat Ole Miss 85-56 to stay undefeated.

With 3:16 left in the first half, Ole Miss’ Kharyssa Richardson went to the free throw line with a chance to tie the game at 32. She only made one of the two free throws, and Ole Miss never seemed to recover.

South Carolina finished the half on an 8-0 run. Cardoso may a fast break layup and then Te-Hina Paopao hit a free through. Tessa Johnson brought the crowd to its feet with three from deep in the corner. 

With 11 seconds left, Dawn Staley put in MiLaysia Fulwiley for the last shot. South Carolina spread the court, and Fulwiley blew by her defender for the layup at the buzzer. That play gave South Carolina all the momentum going into the break.

The third quarter belonged to Cardoso. She shot 5-6 and came up with a pair of steals. Three of her five baskets were transition layups, and she added another layup and short jumper as Ole Miss had nobody that could keep up with her.

“She’s a difference-maker,” Staley said. “She needs to get more and more comfortable being the focal point. It’s natural for us to (focus on) her.”

[GamecockCentral for $1: In-depth coverage and a great community]

South Carolina took its first double-digit lead early in the third quarter, and pushed it over 20 early in the fourth. South Carolina wore down Ole Miss, outscoring the Rebels 25-12 in the fourth and holding them to 3-13 shooting. 

Cardoso was one of six Gamecocks in double figures. Fulwiley had 14, Paopao had 11, and Bree Hall and Sania Feagin each had 10. Ashlyn Watkins had her second straight double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

“They have depth,” Yolett McPhee-McCuin said. “It’s not the first wave that gets you. It’s the second wave, the third wave, the fourth wave.”

South Carolina had 17 points off 21 Ole Miss turnovers, while only giving up two points on ten turnovers. South Carolina had 18 fast break points.

[On3 App: Get South Carolina push notifications from GamecockCentral]

“I would love to give them the credit, but we’ve just been turning that thing over,” McPhee-McCuin said. “They were really locked in on trying to stop some of our players and I didn’t think we did a good job with our decision-making.”

Madison Scott had 17 points to lead Ole Miss. Marquesha Davis, who had scored at least 23 points inthree consecutive games, was held to 10 points on 4-15 shooting.

“She’s been great. She didn’t show up tonight and I was disappointed with that,” McPhee-McCuin said. “Kudos to South Carolina and their environment. I do believe in homecourt advantage. It’s tough to play here.”

Notes:

Staley confirmed after the game that Cardoso will miss the next two games to play with Brazil in the Olympic qualifying tournament. … Sunday was South Carolina’s annual Play 4 Kay game to raise awareness for the fight against all cancers affecting women. South Carolina wore pink shooting shirts that said “Love Hope Cure.” Ole Miss also wore pink shooting shirts that said “Hope Strength Courage.” Breast cancer survivors were honored at halftime. … There were 48 fouls called (24 in each half). Ole Miss was called for 31 fouls and had two players foul out. … Official Michael McConnell blind-sided Raven Johnson after she stole a pass and was going in for a layup. Later on the possession Johnson drove and McConnell called a foul, giving her two free throws. … Freshman Adhel Tac, who enrolled in January, did the video invite for the Missouri game. … Dawn Staley’s outfit: Staley wore a pink cardigan over the pink shooting shirt. … Announced attendance was 18,000, a sellout. … South Carolina’s next game is Thursday against Missouri.

Discuss South Carolina women’s basketball on The Insiders Forum!