#3 South Carolina stomps Maine 79-42 to open season 3-0

The third-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks ripped Maine 79-42 to start their 2016-17 campaign at 3-0. Five players landed in double figures, led by A’ja Wilson’s 14 and a 13-point night by freshman Mikiah Herbert Harrigan. Alaina Coates added yet another double-double with 12 points and fourteen rebounds.

It wasn’t a high-scoring affair for the Gamecocks, but they did enjoy a strong shooting night as they hit the 56% mark from the floor, despite a tepid 3-14 performance from beyond the arc. The Carolina bigs were too much for the Black Bears as USC held a 42-27 edge in rebounding and put up an astonishing 52-8 count from the paint. Maine was held to just five first-quarter points and never recovered as the Gamecocks enjoyed a 43-19 lead at the break.

While they didn’t come close to the 92-point outputs they reached against Ohio State and Hampton, getting contributions from a number of different players is something the Gamecocks can take pride in early on. Wilson even had a nickname for herself and Coates after the game.

They’ll need more of that in their third game in as many days against Saint Peter’s tomorrow at 7pm at Colonial Life Arena, before a top-five showdown against #4 Louisville in Springfield, Massachusetts on Sunday.