"Scary hours": College hoops fans hyped after MiLaysia Fulwiley leads Dawn Staley's USC to victory over Purdue

College basketball fans were in awe of South Carolina's 99-51 demolition of Purdue in the Fort Myers Tip-off Island Division at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Florida on Saturday.

Sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley led seven players in double figures with 14 points, five rebounds and two steals. Ashlyn Watkins and Tessa Johnson added 13 each for the No.4-ranked Gamecocks, who captured their second-straight 40-point victory since losing to UCLA last week.

Chloe Kitts and Bree Hall finished with 12 points each while Joyce Edwards and Maddy McDaniel contributed 11 and 10, respectively.

South Carolina raced to a 53-18 lead in the first half, with a backbreaking 30-6 surge in the second quarter. They stepped off the gas pedal in the second half but still won the showdown by 48 points.

Women's college basketball enthusiasts noticed the Gamecocks' sudden sense of urgency since losing to UCLA. One fan observed that the team has been locked in over the past two games and is determined to reclaim the No. 1 seed.

Other fans agreed with the observation.

"Na that loss was needed we on fire 🔥 now," the fan wrote.

"What did I say a few days ago 🤷🏻‍♂️ told y’all its about to get nasty," another user added.

"S/O UCLA ; Y’all done woke up the monsters," one hoops fan chimed in.

Other fans emphasized South Carolina's real strength is getting everyone involved.

"No great performances, but 7 good performances equals victory," the fan wrote.

"The moral(e) is always high when the whole roster contributes," another user added.

"Way to go ladies!!!!! Keep it up and keep dominating!!!🐓🐓🐓🐓," a fan noted.

Another fan praised South Carolina's excellent defense on the passing lanes, which resulted in 13 steals and forced Purdue to commit 20 turnovers. They also congratulated MiLaysia Fulwiley on her two-steal effort for the day.

"she works hard on defense, pls don't forget Lay's 2 steals 😊," the fan wrote.

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South Carolina dominates Purdue to gain sixth win this season

South Carolina overwhelmed Purdue in the stats battle to move to 6-1 in the 2024-25 women's college basketball season. The Gamecocks shot 47.1% from the field, making 41 of 87 attempts. The Boilermakers could only make 21 of 53 shots.

The Dawn Staley-coached squad dominated the rebounding department (56-26), assists (17-10) and steals (13-2). South Carolina took care of the ball well, committing only four turnovers and scored 32 off Purdue's 32 errors. The Gamecocks had 28 fastbreak points and tallied 66 points in the paint.

South Carolina returns to the court on Thursday when it takes on Duke in the ACC-SEC Challenge at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.