South Carolina women's basketball: Rapid Reaction - Winthrop

South Carolina made easy work of Winthrop in a 106-56 win. Here’s what stood out from the game.

– Before the last two games, I wrote that I wanted to see more production from Ta’Niya Latson. She certainly delivered against Winthrop. Her first half box score alone would have been impressive: 20 points on 7-7 shooting, 2-2 from three, with three rebounds and three assists.

Latson finished with 24 points, five rebounds, and four assists. When she wasn’t draining baskets, Latson was getting to the rim and drawing fouls. She drew five fouls and went 6-9 from the line.

The missed free throws were about the only fault you can find in Latson’s performance. She was efficient, versatile, and occasionally spectacular. 

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– The new-look Ayla McDowell, playing with braids for the first time this season, had a solid game. She had to play forward at times, especially in the first half when Maryam Dauda and Agot Makeer picked up two fouls, and performed well.

Winthrop is undersized, with its tallest players 6-0 and 6-3, so the 6-1 McDowell won’t always have the height advantage she had on Wednesday. But you can only play the team on the schedule.

McDowell rebounded well, ran the floor, and finished strong at the basket. She ended up with a modest stat line of seven points and four rebounds, but it was nice to see her be productive as a four.

– Maryam Dauda has taken over the “get her going” designation from Latson. Dauda picked up two quick fouls that limited her to just two minutes in the first half. After that, she never found a rhythm in the second half. 

Dauda was the only Gamecock that didn’t score, and she had just one rebound, one assist, and one block. Look for the Gamecocks to try to get her more involved against Queens.

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