slipped in recent years, Great Britains program has been on the rise. The Brits finished third in the team competition at worlds last fall, the

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- After two transfer newcomers help pull No. 4 South Carolina to an opening win, two returning veterans moved into the spotlight to lead the Gamecocks to a 92-38 win over Hampton on Sunday.Alaina Coates scored 28 points and had 16 rebounds and her fellow frontcourt player Aja Wilson added 20 as South Carolina (2-0) used a decided size advantage to breeze past the Pirates (0-4).In the opening win over Ohio State, all-Atlantic Coast Conference transfer Kaela Davis scored 37 points. The former Georgia Tech star had just three on Sunday. But with a solid roster, Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley expects a different star most nights.If everybody wants to be in the spotlight -- theres not enough room, Staley said.Allisha Gray, the transfer from North Carolina who Staley calls her silent assassin, had 16 points after debuting for South Carolina with 24 against the Buckeyes.Hampton (0-4) trailed just 21-15 at the end of the first quarter and pulled down one rebound more than the Gamecocks. I thought that was disgraceful, Staley said.So Staley challenged her players to dominate inside. They were helped because two of the Pirates tallest players Kaylah Lupoe and Monnazjea Finney-Smith each ended the first quarter with three fouls. Coates had 14 points in the quarter, while Wilson made all eight of her free throws as South Carolina pulled away with a 32-11 run, outscoring Hampton 18-2 in the paint in the quarter.Theres really nothing you can do. It is what it is with the fouls, Hampton coach David Six said.Coates 28 points were one off her career high, and Wilson made all 14 of her free throws, setting a school record for most makes without a miss.Malia Tate-Defreitas, the reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference player of the year the past two seasons, led Hampton with 10 points.BIG PICTUREHampton: Six seemed to acknowledge his teams size disadvantage from the start, sending 5-foot-5 guard Georgianna Gilbeaux out for the opening tap, which she didnt even try to get against the 6-foot-5 Wilson. Hampton has played a Power 5 team in each of its first four games, losing by an average of 33 points. The Pirates are trying to win the MEAC for the first time since 2014, when they capped a five-year NCAA Tournament run.South Carolina: All 11 South Carolina players played at least 10 minutes, a nice luxury with three games in three days. The Gamecocks forced 24 turnovers and held Hampton to 24 percent shooting. South Carolinas reserves played almost the entire fourth quarter, holding the Pirates to just four points on 2-of-15 shooting.AILING AJAWilsons 14-of-14 day from the foul line masked another quiet night from the field. The first-team All-American was 3-for-8 from the field against Hampton after going just 1-of-3 struggling with foul trouble at Ohio State.Staley said Wilson is rusty because she spent most of her summer resting her shins, which bothered her at the end of last season, instead of playing basketball.Shes kind of paying for it right now. But she will work things out, Staley said.Others are welcome to shoot as much as they want, Wilson said. If were winning, Aja is happy, the junior said.POLL IMPLICATIONSSouth Carolina could move up from No. 4 on Monday after No. 2 Baylor lost to third-ranked Connecticut. But it is very possible poll voters wont punish the Bears. The Gamecocks arent likely to fall either..UP NEXTHampton: The Pirates take on Saint Peters on Monday in the second game of the Basketball Hall of Fame Womens Challenge.South Carolina: The Gamecocks play Maine on Monday in the second game of the Basketball Hall of Fame Womens Challenge.Custom Texas Rangers Jerseys . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. Rangers Jerseys China . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. https://www.cheaprangersbaseball.com/ . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. Stitched Rangers Jerseys . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. Texas Rangers Shirts . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year.After 40 years helping some of the greatest gymnasts of all time soar to Olympic gold -- from Nadia Comaneci to Mary Lou Retton to Nastia Liukin -- Martha Karolyi is ready to say goodbye. The U.S. womens national team coordinator is retiring after the 2016 Games.The five-woman group Karolyi is bringing to Rio de Janeiro -- Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Madison Kocian and Laurie Hernandez -- has the perfect going away present in mind: Gold. Lots and lots of gold. Maybe all six available, something thats never been done by one country in a single Olympiad.Its a testament to the empire Karolyi has built since taking over the program in 2001 that its not merely just hype but entirely plausible, a luxury afforded when you have the three-time reigning world champion (Biles), the defending Olympic champion (Douglas), a three-time Olympic medalist (Raisman) and the reigning uneven bars world champion (Kocian) on the roster.The gap between the U.S. and the rest of the world has grown since the Fierce Five rolled to the team gold four years ago. The chance of anyone overcoming it is akin to the odds of Michael Jordan and the original Dream Team falling in Barcelona in 1992. No one came close back then. If the Americans do what theyve done at every major international event since 2011, Karolyis final meet will be more of an extended victory lap.Some things to watch for as the rest of the world looks for a pony-tailed version of The Miracle On Ice in search of an upset:THE SIMONE SHOWThe 19-year-old Biles has spent the last three years pushing the boundaries of her sport while putting together a winning streak that is three years and counting, with no apparent end in sight. Shes won 14 world championship medals (10 of them gold) since 2013 and is poised to become the fourth straight American to win the Olympic all-around gold. The Spring, Texas, native is a mix of athleticism and daring. Her Amanar vault is the closest gymnastics gets to perfection these days, and theres a real chance she could win up to five medals on her own: team, all-around, vault, floor exercise and balance beam.ENCORE PART 1Douglas is attempting to become the first reigning all-around champion to repeat in nearly 50 years. While topping Biles seems unlikely, the 20-year-old Douglas could follow in the footsteps of Comaneci, who won the all-around in Montreal in 1976 and earned silver in Moscow in 1980. Douglas path back to the Olympics has been bumpy of late. Though she was runner-up to Biles at the 2015 world championships and capturred the American Cup in March, she struggled at times during the selection process and parted with coach Kittia Carpenter in early July.ddddddddddddENCORE PART 2Raisman was the oldest member of the Fierce Five in London while winning three medals, including gold on floor exercise. The 22-year-old (nicknamed Grandma by some of her younger teammates) heads to Rio as arguably the best gymnast on the planet not named Biles. Raisman was second to Biles at both the U.S. championships and the Olympic Trials. She credited longtime coach Mihai Brestyan and her commitment to doing 8 million routines as the key to her resurgence at a time when some American stars are well into retirement.MISSING IN ACTIONRomania, which has finished on the podium in every Olympics since 1976, failed to qualify for the team competition after struggling at the 2015 world championships last fall and slumping at the end of the Rio Test Event in April. An injury to star Larisa Lordache didnt help. The Romanians will be represented by just one gymnast, 28-year-old Catalina Ponor, who will be making her fourth Olympic appearance and serve as her countrys flag bearer during opening ceremonies.THE BRITISH ARE COMINGWhile longtime powers like Romania and Russia have slipped in recent years, Great Britains program has been on the rise. The Brits finished third in the team competition at worlds last fall, the first ever team medal at the world championships in the programs history. The core of that group: sisters Becky and Ellie Downie, Claudia Fragapane, Amy Tinkler and Ruby Harrold, will try to take an even greater step in Rio.7th HEAVENOksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan competed in her first Olympics before most of the women she will be competing against in Brazil were born. The 41-year-old will be the oldest female gymnast in Olympic history when she appears in her seventh games. Her best chance to medal will come on vault, an event she won silver on in Beijing eight years ago.Its a pity there are no points for age, Chusovitina said.BABY SHAKIRAThe 16-year-old Hernandez is the youngest member of Team USA, yet shes hardly intimidated by the stage. Her charismatic performance on floor exercise -- where she struts to the music with the attitude of a supermodel on the runway -- earned her the nickname Baby Shakira as a junior. Hernandez calls her gymnastics sassy, though she combines with a skill level that few can match. ' ' '