No. 1 South Carolina WBB withstands Michigan push to win opener in Las Vegas

The defending champs are 1-0.

But they’ve got some work to do.

The No. 1 South Carolina women’s basketball team beat Michigan, 68-62, in Monday night’s season opener in Las Vegas behind big games from forward Chloe Kitts (19 points) and guard Tessa Johnson (15 points) and a resurgent second half..

The Gamecocks, though, didn’t coast at T-Mobile Arena. Far from it.

USC trailed after the first quarter and at halftime to a Michigan team that entered the game unranked and starting three freshmen, and had to gut it out after leading by nine points early in the fourth quarter.

Michigan’s Syla Swords (game-high 27 points) made a 3-pointer to get the game to 64-62 USC with 22.1 seconds left, but South Carolina’s Kitts made two free throws (66-62) and Michigan turned it over on its final two possessions.

USC — which went 38-0 last year and won its third national championship in the past seven NCAA Tournaments — was a 20.5-point favorite but only won by six.

The Wolverines especially found success down low against a South Carolina front line that’s playing without star center Kamilla Cardoso (who’s now in the WNBA) for the first time in three years and still figuring out exactly how to replace her.

Coach Dawn Staley promised during her halftime interview with TNT that the Gamecocks would change their approach against a “relentless” Michigan team, and that held true as USC played with more pace and took control of the boards and the paint down the stretch.

But Michigan gave Staley’s preseason No. 1 team plenty to improve on heading into Sunday’s meeting with No. 9 N.C. State in the Ally Tipoff Game in Charlotte.

“I like that we’ve been challenged,” Staley said postgame. “I like the fact we’ve been exposed in certain areas. ... It’s gonna be a great gut check.”

Here are three more things learned from USC’s 68-62 win.

Chloe Kitts’ big night

Kitts, a junior, looked like a different player on Monday night. She was decisive — and noticeably more physical — from her starting forward position and was all over the glass, giving USC a much-needed lift early on.

The 6-foot-2 forward from Florida had six points and six rebounds in the first quarter alone and provided offense at a time when USC (which shot just 34.1% from the field in the first half and got minimal backcourt contributions) really needed it.

Kitts reached double-double status halfway through the third quarter and ending up attempting a team-high 14 shots — all warranted, given she was in excellent position mere feet from the basket on nearly all of them.

Her jumpers didn’t fall, but Kitts probably manufactured more offense for South Carolina on Monday night than she’s done — or been asked to do — her entire career. Plus, her late free throws were a game changer.

“I feel like this is going to fuel us,” Kitts said. “The game was pretty close and we just need to get better. ... We know we need to do way better, and we will.”

Getting back to the basics

Given how excellent South Carolina’s been in the paint in recent years, it was odd to look at the halftime stats and see Michigan out-rebounding South Carolina 26-24 and matching them in points in the paint (both teams had 24).

Those of the sort of stats USC has dominated — with Cardoso, last year’s leading scorer and a 6-7 center, playing a big role on both ends. Michigan started five guards but wasn’t afraid to attack the paint one bit at T-Mobile Arena, and it showed.

Combine Michigan beating South Carolina at its own game with the Gamecocks shooting poorly on 3-pointers in the first half (17.6%), and USC was on the ropes against a team that snuck into the NCAA Tournament last year as a No. 9 seed and overhauled most of its roster.

Those margins evened out over time as South Carolina pushed the pace in the second half and flexed its depth. Still, the final stats showed an even rebounding margin (52-52) and 28 points in the paint for Michigan.

It’ll be interesting to see how other teams (especially those with dominant post players) attack the Gamecocks offensively going forward.

How’d the newcomers play?

Three Gamecocks made their debut on Monday.

Freshman forward and former five-star recruit Joyce Edwards had nine points on 3 of 10 shooting, seven rebounds and was in the closing five, playing 29 minutes. Arkansas transfer forward Maryam Dauda played four minutes off the bench and was 0-2, a more muted effort for the team’s only offseason portal addition.

Freshman guard Maddy McDaniel didn’t play as she recovers from a minor knee surgery, but redshirt freshman center Adhel Tac was a pleasant surprise and provided some physicality off the bench (three rebounds, +5 plus/minus).

Next four USC WBB games

• Sunday: vs. No. 9 NC State in Charlotte, 3 p.m. (ESPN)

• Nov. 14: vs. Coppin State, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)

• Nov. 17: vs. East Carolina, 2 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)

• Nov. 20: at Clemson, 5 p.m. (ESPN2)