South Carolina women's basketball: Rapid Reaction - Louisville

South Carolina eked out a 79-77 come-from-behind win over Louisville in the ACC/SEC Challenge. Here’s what stood out from the game. 

– Dawn Staley said on Wednesday that, even with Agot Makeer not playing because of concussion protocol, she would have to force the bench to be more productive. That didn’t happen. 

Staley didn’t make a single substitution in the first or fourth quarters. Maddy McDaniel and Adhel Tac played five and three minutes, respectively, all in the first half. Ayla McDowell played five minutes in the second quarter and four minutes in the third quarter. Maryam Dauda did not play at all.

McDaniel, McDowell, and Tac each flashed some positive contributions on Thursday, but they didn’t play enough to do more. 

The problem right now is a logjam. The two best available reserves, McDaniel and Tac, are behind Raven Johnson and Madina Okot, two of the most indispensable starters. McDowell probably wouldn’t have played if Makeer, who has been the best bench player all season, were available.

Still, something’s got to give.

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– Madina Okot cannot get over the hump. She has scored 23 points in three of the last five games, tying her career high. Thursday night, she missed her last three layups to avoid setting a new personal best. Against Duke, Okot passed out for an assist instead of a bucket right before subbing out. Against Winthrop, she missed a putback with two minutes left, again, right before subbing out.

Someday, Okot will get over the hump.

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– Once again, South Carolina had no trouble getting to the rim, but did have trouble capitalizing. Against Texas, it was mostly missed layups. Against Louisville, it was because the officials were letting Louisville get away with clear fouls time after time.

I don’t usually like complaining about the officials, but the game wouldn’t have been close if it had been called better. All three officials were working their second game in a row.

Maj Forsberg worked the Auburn-Syracuse game on Wednesday. Pualani Spurlock and Billy Smith officiated the Oklahoma-NC State overtime game later that night. 

It’s not unusual for officials to work consecutive nights, but it’s natural to wonder if fatigue was an issue.

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