Sophomore forward Ashlyn Watkins shined in her first career start, and South Carolina women's basketball pulled away in the second half to beat Auburn, 76-54, on Thursday in Auburn, Alabama.

Freshman guard MiLaysia Fulwiley led the No. 1 Gamecocks (20-0, 8-0 SEC) with 15 points. Watkins contributed 14 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Senior center Kamilla Cardoso scored 13 points.

After starting poorly on offense, the Gamecocks began to pull away from the Tigers (14-7, 3-5) in the third quarter. Senior center Kamilla Cardoso helped orchestrate a 13-2 run that expanded the lead to double digits for the second time in the game. The lead stayed higher than 11 points the rest of the night.

"At halftime you make a little bit of adjustments, but as players you know what you're capable of doing," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. "I thought we did a better job of sharing the basketball. I thought we did a better job of putting people in positions to be affective offensively and I think we beared down defensively."

Auburn and South Carolina entered Thursday with the two best scoring defenses in the conference, allowing 61.1 and 61.9 points per game, respectively. The resulting defensive battle in the first half wasn't a surprise, even if it was unusual for the Gamecocks.

The teams combined to shoot 29% from the floor before the break and neither team scored a 3-pointer. South Carolina went into the break leading 27-22.

"They had a great gameplan," Staley said. "They made us play bad with their pressure defense. It was their ability to play their style of play."

The first quarter might have been South Carolina's worst this year. The Gamecocks opened the game shooting just 26% from the field, including 0-for-8 from beyond the arc. Senior guard Te-Hina Paopao, who leads the nation shooting 50.6% from beyond the arc, missed her first three 3-point attempts.

The Gamecocks carried a 13-12 lead into the second quarter thanks to their eight points off six Tiger turnovers. The 13 points marked their fewest in a quarter this season.

Ashlyn Watkins shines in first career start

Watkins started a game for the first time in her career in place of sophomore forward Chloe Kitts, who was out with an illness. Watkins responded with a career high with 15 rebounds and added14 points, two short of her career high.

"Ashlyn is a starter for us," Staley said. "I wasn't surprised. I think she's shown us that she's pretty talented. She's an extraordinarily good rebounder, she put some points on the scoreboard for us and she was really a monster out on defense."

It was her fourth double-double of the season. She added five blocks and three steals in a team-leading 31 minutes.

In the first half, Watkins scored eight points with 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals in 17 minutes. She was the best player on the floor for the Gamecocks as the offense sputtered into halftime leading 27-22.

Kamilla Cardoso jump-starts offense in second half

Cardoso's second half performance was a key difference in getting the USC offense back on track.

Cardoso scored nine points in the third quarter on the way to a 13-point effort on the night. She had six rebounds and three blocks.

South Carolina's ability to work in the paint was especially important as the Gamecocks' shooters struggled. South Carolina scored 46 points in the paint.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Ashlyn Watkins stars as South Carolina women's basketball sinks Auburn