For five minutes, A’ja Wilson looked distinctly un-A’ja Wilson like.
Facing No. 15 Maryland on the road, Wilson, the consensus preseason national player of the year, didn’t score once as she dished three assists and grabbed two rebounds, the only Gamecock not to put the ball in the basket as she was swarmed with double teams. In short, she looked like a perfectly competent role player, not coach Dawn Staley’s star.
But when the Terrapins began to close the gap, Staley and USC turned to Wilson, and she responded with a career-high 32 points as the Gamecocks held off a furious Maryland rally to claim a 94-86 victory on the road Monday.