South Carolina women's basketball earned its first top-10 win of the season on Saturday night, defeating No. 8 Southern California by a score of 69-52. The Gamecocks' dominance in the paint and on defense was the difference in their fourth straight win to start the year.
South Carolina’s tall and lengthy roster made the difference in the game, much like it has in the team’s first three games of the year. Across the team’s past three games, the Gamecocks are out rebounding their opponents by an average of 23 total per game.
The story was no different Saturday, as the Trojans' 32 boards on the night didn’t compare to the 56 from the Gamecocks. Three different Gamecocks finished with double-digit rebounds, led by senior center Madina Okot with 15 on the night. No Trojan had more than five.
"Who's gonna drive in the paint on that?" senior point guard Raven Johnson said on Okot. "She's sweet and loving, but on that court, she's a force to be reckoned with."
Okot’s 6-foot-6 stature made her the tallest player on either team, with the only Trojan coming close being junior forward Yakiya Milton at 6-foot-5 who only saw six minutes of play time. Southern California also has just one player listed above 6-foot-3, compared to the three from South Carolina.
The Gamecocks dominated the Trojans in the paint, out scoring them 44-28. South Carolina blocked seven shots as well, a total that lowers their season average of nine blocks per game entering the matchup.
Of the Gamecock’s 56 rebounds, 21 were offensive. The unit scored 15 second-chance points in the game. Johnson grabbed four offensive boards as well.
"You want rebounding to be a decision," head coach Dawn Staley said. "You're either going to do it, or you're not going to do it. We decided to do it."
The team also held the Trojans to just one made 3-pointer on the night across 14 attempts. Southern California’s 7% 3-point percentage is the lowest the team has allowed in a game all season, besting their previous lowest allowed of 15% against Clemson.
The Gamecocks capitalized on turnovers, scoring 16 compared to the Trojans nine, despite South Carolina turning the ball over 17 times compared to Southern California's 13.
Operating with a roster of just eight players, Staley’s starters all saw 28 minutes or more, with four girls playing 35 minutes or more in the game. For comparison, the Trojans saw just one player play 35 minutes played and just two total over 30. The Gamecocks were without sophomore guard Maddy McDaniel, who remains suspended from the team due to undisclosed reasons.
Arguably the most impressive feat of the night for South Carolina was once again its defense in the fourth quarter. In the team's win over Clemson, the Gamecocks held the Tigers to just 2 total points on 0/17 shooting from the field in the final period. The Gamecocks outscored them 20-2 to pull away with the win.
On Saturday's game, Southern California scored just 7 points in the final period on 3/14 shooting from the field. South Carolina doubled them up with 14 total points on 7/14 from the field.
The Gamecocks shot 10/21 from the field in the third quarter, just one make away from back-to-back quarters shooting over 50%. The two impressive periods helped raise the team's shooting percentage on the day from 33% in the first half to 41% on the night.
The win marks the seventh consecutive season South Carolina has defeated the first ranked opponent they have played in the year.
"I would say we got the title until we play them again next year," Staley said on the moniker of "The Real SC."