TAMPA, Fla – MiLaysia Fulwiley was the best player on the floor in South Carolina’s Sweet 16 win over Maryland. Her ballhandling, speed and creativity at the rim made things impossible for Maryland Terrapins coach Brenda Frese to find a way to slow down.
But there was a point in the second half when South Carolina coach Dawn Staley had to pull her standout sophomore out of the game and talk to her. Staley didn’t like what she was seeing defensively from Fulwiley.
South Carolina was in a tight game, trailing at two different moments in the fourth quarter. Staley wanted to get her point across and didn’t have time to mince words.
“She’s grown to the fact where it gets hot, it gets hot,” Staley said. “Everything is not spoken in a soft tone. Kitchen gets hot when you’re trying to survive in the NCAA Tournament.”
Fulwiley’s talent has never been a question, she’s the best pure scorer on South Carolina’s roster. Her weakness, at times, was maintaining consistency and recovering from coaches’ criticism, but against Maryland she showed growth.
Fulwiley took what Staley said to heart, made the correction and went back in to seal the game for the Gamecocks. She scored a game-high 23 points, 11 of them in the fourth quarter.
As a freshman last season, she…
