BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) — Chloe Kitts scored a career-best 21 points, Bree Hall added 18 and No. 1 South Carolina quickly ended any thoughts Bowling Green may have had of pulling off an historic upset, rolling to a 93-62 win Tuesday night.
Hall made three 3-pointers and the Gamecocks (11-0) hit their first 10 shots while opening an 18-point lead in the first quarter against the Falcons (6-3), who were facing the nation’s top-ranked team for the first time in school history.
It was more than an average non-conference game for South Carolina as the matchup was also a reunion with first-year Bowling Green coach Fred Chmiel, an assistant with the Gamecocks for eight seasons under Dawn Staley.
While Chmiel was at South Carolina, the Gamecocks went 247-32, developed numerous All-Americans and won national championships in 2017 and 2022. Chmiel’s relationship with Staley stretches back nearly 20 years when he was an assistant for the WNBA’s Charlotte Sting and she was their best player.
South Carolina star center Kamilla Cardoso scored 11 before leaving in the fourth quarter with a lower leg injury that didn’t appear serious.
Morgan Sharps made seven 3-pointers and scored 25 to lead Bowling Green.
Chmiel knew what his team was in for, and the Gamecocks, coming off a 70-point win over Presbyterian, showed why they’re a unanimous No. 1 in the AP poll.
Hall, a junior from Dayton, Ohio, set the tone with her outside shooting and the Gamecocks made their first five 3s before a long miss drew a roar from the sellout crowd of 4,195 fans inside The Stroh Center on BG’s campus.
South Carolina then ramped up its defensive intensity in the second quarter, went on an 18-4 tear and took total control. The Gamecocks led by 21 at halftime, pushed it to 31 after three and 87-47 in the fourth.
BIG PICTURE
Bowling Green: This was an uphill battle from the start as the Falcons couldn’t match South Carolina’s size, strength or depth. But it was a chance to see how they measure up, and it will help them — and BG’s program — going forward.
South Carolina: Staley wasn’t going to take it easy on Chmiel — not that he would expect that — and had the Gamecocks focused on both ends of the floor. Tougher games await as they try to get back to Ohio in April for the Final Four in Cleveland.
UP NEXT
South Carolina: At East Carolina on Dec. 30 before opening SEC play on Jan. 4 at Florida.
Bowling Green: Another tough one at No. 16 Indiana on Friday.
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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
