COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina coach Dawn Staley had no worries about seeing freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley start at point guard while giving junior regular Raven Johnson a rest.
Fulwiley, making just her second start, put any concerns to rest with her steady performance as she scored a team-high 18 points in the top-ranked Gamecocks 99-29 victory over Presbyterian on Saturday.
South Carolina started 10-0 for a third straight season as Fulwiley added seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and zero turnovers.
“She looked comfortable. And that’s what you want,” Staley said. “We know she’s a stat-filler. Hopefully she can continue to stack days and give that same effort.”
The freshman’s first start of the season, on Nov. 20 against South Dakota State was forgettable; Fulwiley was 5-of-16 from the field, missed all four of her 3-pointers and turned the ball over twice.
On Saturday, she had eight points, a steal and an assist a stretch of less than two minutes of the first quarter. She hit back-to-back 3-pointers to set up the expected rout.
“I felt a lot of pressure the first time, now it was just go out there and do what you’ve been doing,” Fulwiley said.
She also beat the buzzer by driving the length of the court and stopping at the free-throw line to swish a jumper. The entire procedure took less than five seconds.
“They have faith in me that I’m going to make the shot,” Fulwiley said. “I just shoot it the way I want it to go in, and it just happens to go in.”
Freshman Tessa Johnson had 13 points for the Gamecocks, Kamilla Cardoso and Sakima Walker scored 12 apiece while Bree Hall added 10. Chloe Kitts finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds while Ashlyn Watkins had 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Tilda Sjokvist led the Presbyterian (8-4) with 15 points.
BIG PICTURE
South Carolina: The Gamecocks looked a bit rusty in their first game back after exams but had more than enough to handle the overwhelmed Blue Hose. They’ll have another sizable break for Christmas after their next game, the last before SEC play begins.
Presbyterian: The Hose were expectedly little more than a speed bump for the top-ranked Gamecocks, due to talent differential and fatigue. Presbyterian played S.C. State on Friday evening, then took a bus to Columbia for a 1 p.m. Saturday tip.
NO REST
Presbyterian agreed to play two games in less than 24 hours to prepare for the postseason. The Big South Tournament could mean more of those situations.
“We knew that I was a tough situation for our team,” coach Alaura Sharp said. “We want to be a March team. We want to be in this environment.”
UP NEXT
Presbyterian: Plays Eastern Washington at the Las Vegas Tournament in Nevada next Thursday.
South Carolina: Heads to Bowling Green, coached by Staley’s longtime assistant Fred Chmiel, on Tuesday night.