Hall’s breakout vs UNC is key for Gamecocks
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Bree Hall wasn't aiming for a block when she squared up against North Carolina's Alyssa Ustby in the paint Thursday.
Hall struggled to articulate what was going through her mind in that moment, which resulted in a critical turnover for South Carolina (6-0). She doesn't remember leaving her feet to make the block, but it prevented the Tar Heels from scoring the game-tying layup with less than four minutes left in the ACC/SEC Challenge game.
"I don't know what really happened honestly. I feel like I haven't had a block like that since high school," Hall said with a laugh. "I watched the clip in the locker room and I could tell I was trying to take a charge, and then all of a sudden I just jumped. I was like, oh, that's something new!"
South Carolina women's basketball played its worst game in a long time in a 65-58 win Thursday over North Carolina (5-3) at Carmichael Arena, but Hall had easily her best game of the season. The junior guard finished with a team-high 15 points, shooting 5 of 6 from the field and 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
Hall was also a force defensively for the Gamecocks, spending the majority of the game guarding North Carolina star Deja Kelly. Although Kelly still scored 20 points, just 13 of those came from field goals, and Hall kept her to a highly inefficient 6-of-16 shooting. Kelly had a single assist and zero rebounds before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.
"It builds me and motivates me to know this is my assignment and I've just got to complete the assignment to get the win for my team," Hall said. "I wanted this badly. I'm very proud of myself honestly . . . I knew I was going to have a tough offensive player, and knowing I've had a stretch of not the best games in my opinion, it was just go out there like I need to prove myself that I can do this."
The Gamecocks have leaned heavily on Te-Hina Paopao to be their sharpshooter when others aren't hitting — and they weren't against the Tar Heels. The team made just 34.5% from the field in the first half and hit a single 3-pointer, courtesy of Paopao. But the Oregon transfer finished just 5-of-14 from the field, well below her average of 54.1%.
Hall had an underwhelming start to the season, averaging 7.4 points, shooting 31% from the field and 23% on 3-pointers across the previous six games. Seeing her step up amid adversity in a hostile environment is a big deal, adding yet another layer to the team's depth.
Although South Carolina often has leaned on weapons off the bench, Hall was one of four starters to play at
least 33 minutes against the Tar Heels. She proved that among the starting group, there is no weak link: All five are capable of taking shots on at least two levels. Any of them can score 15-plus points. Any of them can chase down a block. It makes the Gamecocks practically impossible to contain, at least for a full 40 minutes.
"Bree's been working. She's wanted a performance like this on both sides of the basketball," coach Dawn Staley said. "I thought she did a magnificent job, especially on their middle ball-screen action with the communication . . . She hit a big, big shot for us. I'm super happy for her, and I hope she can bottle this up and play this way for the rest of the season."
Up next, the Gamecocks Duke at 1 p.m. Sunday (ABC).
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