South Carolina women's basketball survives the scare and beats Michigan 68-62

LAS VEGAS – No sure things, no sure bets, especially not in Las Vegas.

In a game where No. 1 South Carolina women's basketball was expected to get going to start its national title defense, the Gamecocks trailed unranked Michigan at halftime and needed a 68-62 win to get the season off to a successful start.

Michigan (0-1) cut South Carolina's lead to two points in the final 30 seconds thanks to two three-pointers from a true freshman Syla swords at the last minute, but Chloe Kitts hit two free throws with 21.1 seconds left to make it a two-possession game, and Raven Johnson – who didn’t make a field goal all game – blocked another Swords triple to put the game on ice.

A long list of problems plagued South Carolina (1-0), but it all started and ended with a shot. The Gamecocks shot a dreadful 25 of 75 (33.3 percent) from the floor and spent most of the game hitting 3-pointers from the back iron, a trend that started right out of the gate.

South Carolina missed its first five floor shots as Michigan took a 7-0 lead, and it took a standout performance from the Kitts to keep the Gamecocks within reach early.

The junior forward scored South Carolina's first six points and was the only Gamecock to score in more than six minutes early in the game as the offense around her disintegrated into a malaise of poor shot selection and sloppy decision-making. She finished the contest with 19 points and 14 rebounds, becoming the only Gamecock to reach double-digit rebounds.

However, things weren't much better at the other end.

Michigan fielded five guards – three true freshmen – and used its speed to attack off the dribble and cause problems all night long. Swords quickly adjusted to college basketball, scoring 27 points in her college debut. senior Jordan Hobbs added 19 goals and the duo kept the Wolverines on top for most of the first half and within striking distance throughout.

When the Gamecocks entered the locker room, they trailed 38-37 and had attempted more 3-pointers than layups in half-court sets against a team that didn't field a post player.

But as shot selection took hold inside, South Carolina's offense woke up. It was far from old-fashioned, definitely not dominant and noticeably lacking Kamilla Cardoso's presence in the game, but the Gamecocks scored 10 of their first 14 points of the second half in the game and went on a 12-5 run out of the locker room Guide.

Except the offense stalled just when it looked like they were gaining some control of the game. After taking its largest lead of the game at 60-51 in the fourth quarter, it took six minutes for South Carolina to score again. The defense stepped up to protect the lead, but a lackluster offensive performance left the door open until the final possession.

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