The No. 2 South Carolina women’s basketball team defeated the Winthrop Eagles 106-56 on Wednesday night at the Colonial Life Arena bringing its record to 5-0.
The Gamecocks started the first quarter strong with a 6-2 scoring run against the Eagles, with sophomore forward Joyce Edwards getting a steal and senior guard Ta'Niya Latson with free throws against Winthrop. The Gamecocks kept their momentum, continuing the first quarter with a 12-3 scoring run.
Winthrop continued to fall behind South Carolina by going on a four-minute scoring drought and having five turnovers. South Carolina’s defense held strong, with three blocks and six defensive rebounds.
The Gamecocks gained a 6-0 scoring run to help push their lead to 28-15 after the first quarter. Senior center Madina Okot led the team, scoring 12 points.
South Carolina started the second quarter with a strong offense, while Winthrop struggled with foul trouble. The Gamecocks gained a 10-0 scoring run with six minutes left in the quarter while Winthrop was unable to find any offense and went on a two minute scoring drought.
The Gamecocks' offense picked up their pace throughout the second quarter and started to score easy points in transition. Winthrop struggled to keep up, holding a 25.0 field goal percentage compared to South Carolina’s 76.7.
The Gamecocks defense continued to shine as well, gaining 25 total rebounds compared to the Eagles 12. South Carolina ended the half up 61-27, after another scoring run against Winthrop.
The Gamecocks started the third quarter slow, and both teams fell into foul trouble stopping the flow of the game and sending each other to the free-throw line. Each team held strong on the glass with five rebounds each in the first five minutes of the quarter.
South Carolina’s offense took a step down compared to the first half, shooting 55.6 from the field and making 50% of its free throws. However, they still continued to expand their lead over the Eagles with a 8-0.
The Gamecocks continued to thrive in the paint, scoring 50% of their field goals from within. South Carolina ended the third quarter with a 85-45 lead.
South Carolina’s defense picked back up in the fourth quarter, running a two-minute scoring drought for the Eagles. Winthrop’s defense continued to have foul troubles and senior guard Cori Lard reached five fouls with six minutes left in the game.
The Gamecocks offense picked back up with seven fast break points and nine points off of offensive rebounds. Okot earned a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds with a little less than two minutes left in the game. The team ended with 15 opponent turnovers and recovered 26 points from them.
South Carolina’s defense held through until the end, holding the Eagles to a three-minute scoring drought and grabbing 10 defensive rebounds to eventually win the game 106-56.
Latson led the team in scoring with 24 points, with Okot and Edwards trailing behind with 23 and 22 points. Latson and Edwards also tied in rebounds, each getting five, helping with the teams second-chance points in the paint.
What’s next?
The Gamecocks will play the Queens Royals (2-2) at the Colonial Life Arena on Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. The game will be streamed on the SEC+ Network.