South Carolina women's basketball earned their second straight win to start the season on Friday in a 114-47 win over Bowling Green. The Falcons had no answers for the Gamecocks' rebounding dominance and scoring in the paint.
Head coach Dawn Staley faced a former Gamecock assistant for the second straight week, as Bowling Green head coach Fred Chmiel made his first trip back to Colonial Life since accepting the Falcons' head coaching job in 2023.
Bowling Green handed South Carolina their first deficit of the season after each team’s first possession, taking a 2-0 lead 39 seconds into the game. The lead would be Chmiel's Falcons' first and only of the game.
“They were quicker to the ball, and they got out in front of us,” Chmiel said. “Once they get going downhill, I don’t know many teams in the country that put up much fight with that.”
Bowling Green would only score five more points in the remaining nine minutes of the first quarter. South Carolina’s 17 rebounds were more than double the Falcons' total of eight. Senior center Madina Okot had five boards herself in the quarter.
The rebounding trend from the game’s first 10 minutes continued on for the next 30. Against Grand Canyon on Monday, the team had 38 total rebounds in the entire game. At the end of the first half on Friday, the Gamecocks had 34.
South Carolina out-rebounded the Falcons by 28, doubling up their total of 25 and finishing with 53 boards on the night. The Gamecocks outnumbered Bowling Green 37-8 in defensive rebounds, led by Okot’s seven on the night. She finished with 11 total rebounds, helping her become one of two players to reach a double-double.
The team’s dominant rebounding, specifically defensively, helped to generate fast break points. South Carolina totaled 37 points scored off fast breaks, blowing the Falcons' fast break point total of two out of the water.
In addition to her 11 points, senior guard Raven Johnson earned a double-double thanks to 11 assists and three steals. Her success in transition was a key element to what worked so well for the team defensively.
Staley said this was something the unit worked on in the days leading up to the game.
“I’m really proud of them,” Staley said. “I’m really proud of how much work they put in over the past two days and to see the fruits of their labor today.”
Eight of the nine Gamecocks to see the floor shot 50% from the field or better, mirroring Monday’s game where seven of 10 players saw field goal percentages greater than or equal to 50%. Seven different players hit double digits scoring. The team’s 11 blocks nearly doubled their total of six from last game.
“The first game, coach got on us about our defense,” sophomore forward Joyce Edwards said. “I feel like this game we showed how being disciplined on defense can lead to turnovers.”
Edwards played a borderline perfect game; she led the team in scoring with 24 points on 11/12 shooting, or 92%. She added four rebounds and three assists in the game, all without recording a turnover.
The Gamecocks' 114-point outing ties the second-largest in program history, with 66 of those points coming from the paint. Strong performances from Okot and senior forward Maryam Dauda led the way, each of whom had four offensive rebounds. Okot finished with 13 points while Dauda finished with nine. The team had 20 second-chance points on the night.
Improved play in the post gave the Gamecocks the edge in Friday’s game, laying the foundation for an imposing interior presence for the team going forward.
What’s next?
South Carolina women’s basketball will look to extend their win streak to three on Tuesday against in-state rival Clemson at Colonial Life Arena. The game will tip off at 6 p.m. and be broadcast on ESPN2.