Teams in the circuit know that Dawn Staley’s South Carolina is their way to the grand podium, and the Gamecocks felt it in their opener. The Michigan Wolverines nearly became the first team to defeat USC in more than a year on Nov. 4. Even though Staley’s lineup eventually came out with a 68-62 win, they trailed most of the first half before surviving against the Wolverines’ inexperienced group.

So, when the coach gave her a summary of the matchup, she didn’t hold back. Not only did she share the positives from the game but also touched on the areas that nearly cost South Carolina the game.

Dawn StaleyDawn Staley looks back on rivals’ changed attitude against South Carolina this season. Image credits: IMAGN (left) and Getty (right)

“I mean, I thought they just put us back on our heels, thought they got all the 50-50 balls,” Staley shared with On3. “I thought they just played harder – they just attacked us. They imposed their will on us, and they were in attack mode for most of the night.”

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Staley also commended her crew for making timely adjustments and putting in increased effort throughout the game.

“We made adjustments – I did see us get on the floor for loose balls. I did see a little bit of nastiness to our game, and prettiness – that’s what you want to see.”

Nevertheless, Dawn Staley acknowledges that USC’s stature as the defending national champions has invited other teams to bring their A-game to the floor.

Dawn Staley welcomes her defensive mastermind

Standout defender Ashlyn Watkins has been cleared to rejoin the basketball squad after the assault and battery charges against her were dropped earlier this month. Watkins won’t practice with the team but could see playing significant minutes in the Nov. 10 game against NC State.

Watkins has gradually earned Dawn Staley’s trust over the last two seasons. Most of it occurred during their undefeated run, where the forward earned her first starting minutes (10 games).

Staley also gave Ashlyn Watkins more playing time during the NCAA tournament. Watkins averaged 20 mins of action during the season. She logged in 27 minutes in the Elite Eight (Oregon State), 30 minutes in the Final Four (NC State) and 14 minutes in the championship game (Iowa). As a result, Watkins garnered 39 rebounds and seven blocks in the stretch.