By james art 
South Carolina’s defense dominated #5 LSU in a 66-56 win. Here’s what stood out to me from the game.
– Defense wins games. For the third straight home game, South Carolina held a top-ten opponent to its lowest quarter of the season. South Carolina held both Texas and Oklahoma to nine points in the first quarter and then held LSU to eight points in the second quarter.
The Gamecock offense left a lot to be desired on Friday. But it doesn’t matter if you don’t let the other team score. They made every pass a challenge, even if it didn’t result in a turnover. Raven Johnson (five steals) and Millaisia Fulviili (three steals) applied pressure on the ball that forced the Tigers to work just to get into their offense, and then Sania Feigin (three blocks) led the rim defense.
South Carolina got 22 points off 17 LSU turnovers while giving up just eight points off 12 turnovers. That’s the ball over there.
– Fagin was fantastic again. She stuffed the box score with 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals. She even had five turns to apply it.
Fagin was no match for Aneesah Morrow, who had 15 points and 16 rebounds, but she matched a good chunk of that production. Fagin also made Morrow work for everything he got and eventually Morrow got fired up.
Fagin also flashed those guarding skills that made her such a darling. She was able to run the break and set up Raven Johnson for a layup during the decisive 8-0 run. She mixed several face-off drives with posts that put pressure on the defender to adjust.
It’s hard to believe that a few months ago we were debating whether Fagin should still be starting.
– Fulvili had a spectacular first half, but then played just four minutes in the second half. She ceded most of her playing time to Tessa Johnson, who helped put LSU away late. They are a contrast in styles. Fulvili is explosive but unpredictable. Johnson is steady but reliable.
Dawn Staley said last weekend that Fulwiley is sometimes difficult to play in close games because of her unpredictability. That was the case on Friday. Fulvili shot just 2-11, and several were foul.
On the other hand, Johnson shot 4-9 and was usually in the right spot. That included a play made up for her with just over two minutes that Staley called “the biggest SHT of the game.” Johnson got to her spot, got the ball and drained the shot to put the game out of reach. There is something to be said for predictability.