COLUMBIA — It was loud in Colonial Life Arena for the top-10 matchup between South Carolina women’s basketball and Duke.
Although most moments it was hard to hear singular voices over the overwhelmingly passionate crowd, a voice was heard when freshman guard Maddy McDaniel dribbled the ball up the court.
“She can’t guard you, can’t guard you,” a fan yelled from the corner of the stadium, and in some aspects she was correct.
The No. 4 Gamecocks (8-1) defeated the No. 9 Blue Devils (8-2) in the SEC/ACC Challenge, 81-70, on Thursday. McDaniel’s ability to handle the point guard position was a significant reason for the win.
“She has a calming presence. She knows when to go, knows when not to go, plays with really good pace, tempo and she’s just really good,” fifth year guard Te-Hina Paopao said of McDaniel.
With just under a minute in the first quarter, South Carolina’s defense was strong, forcing a bad jumper from Duke at the end of the shot clock, but an unlucky bounce on the rebound went over freshman forward Joyce Edwards’ head.
The second chance didn’t last long, McDaniel stole the ball from behind. Sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley was barely ahead of defenders, but didn’t have the man advantage so McDaniel waved her off, pulled the ball out and found sophomore guard Tessa Johnson, who drove baseline for the better shot.
In the third quarter, the Gamecocks’ had a three-minute shooting drought. McDaniel didn’t need a screen or much movement off the ball, her handles and shifty play got her defender off balance, and she scored back to back layups to stop the 7-0 run for Duke with 3:24 in the quarter.
“She’s reliable, she doesn’t turn the ball over a whole lot,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. “She handles the ball well, she knows what we need, how we want to execute on both sides of the basket, she can score, she’s delivering for us time and time again. Just solid.”
McDaniel joined the Gamecocks in a guard heavy year, with three returning starters and two quality guards off the bench players.
The expectations weren’t to come in and be a difference maker yet her natural skill and abilities do just that. It’s simple point guard play. McDaniel sees the floor, she extends plays and creates quality shots for teammates.
“She’s really a luxury,” Staley said. “As a coach you look down the bench and see her and want to play her more but we got to get Raven (Johnson) going, we have to get Paopao going, we got to get all these players going and you know when you call her to go in, she’s going to be solid. She’s made me feel that way, so sometimes you just let the other guards do their thing because you know she’s going to be solid, but because of that she sometimes loses out on some minutes.”
McDaniel finished with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting and a plus-14 rating (third best on team) in 16 minutes. She had three steals, one assist and a rebound. She had 10 points against Purdue on Nov. 30, and this season, is averaging five points, 3.5 assists in 17 minutes.
MORE SOUTH CAROLINA VS DUKE: South Carolina basketball vs Duke: Final score, highlights from SEC/ACC Challenge
“A player like Maddy is always going to be successful in anything she does because of her approach to everything that she does,” Staley said.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina freshman Maddy McDaniel ‘reliable’ to Dawn Staley
