The No. 2 South Carolina women’s basketball team earned its fifth win in the season against Winthrop on Wednesday night, scoring 106-56. The Gamecocks' ability to score in the paint and score easy baskets in transition skills brought them to victory.
South Carolina set the tone for the game early on with several scoring runs over Winthrop. The team ended the first quarter with a 76.9% field goal rate compared to Winthrop’s 31.3.
The Gamecocks offense shined in the paint, scoring 70 total points against the Eagles. South Carolina’s roster towered over Winthrop's, with the Eagles tallest player only being 6-foot-3. Senior center Madina Okot held the main advantage due to her 6-foot-6 height, allowing easy access to rebounds and second chance points.
Okot ended the game with 11 rebounds and 23 points, while making 10 out of 12 field goals. This allowed her to record a double-double with two minutes to go in the game.
Senior guard Ta’Niya Latson led the teams scoring with 24 points total. This is her highest scoring game of the season with her previous high of 20 coming against Grand Canyon.
“This is different coming into a different school, learning a new system, so I'm trying to give myself grace,” Latson said, “I just wanted to play free, and I think I did.”
Sophomore forward Joyce Edwards scored 22 points, leading to a trio of players who finished with more than 20 points in the game. This is one of the team’s most balanced scoring efforts of the season.
South Carolina played a quick offense throughout the first half, gaining five of their 26 fastbreak points in the first quarter to help quickly establish a lead in the game. Latson started this offensive flow, with five points in transition in the first quarter.
Winthrop's defense failed to keep up with the Gamecocks, allowing 27 second chance points total on 18 offensive rebounds. Their offense found success in the third quarter, scoring 18 points compared to the 24 that South Carolina scored.
“We have moments where we weren't connected, and I think that's attributed to Winthrop and how they moved us around,” head coach Dawn Staley said. “They got ball reversals when they wanted, they made us play in the shot clock for a long time. Sometimes we got a little disconnected."
While Winthrop had some powerful offense, the team struggled throughout the game with foul trouble, landing 20 fouls while South Carolina only had 13. The Eagles senior guard Cori Lard reached five fouls in the fourth quarter, sending her out of the game.
South Carolina took a major hit offensively during the third quarter, with both teams struggling to score. The team’s defense struggled as well, getting nine of their 13 fouls. The Gamecocks made 15 points out of their 24 possible points from free throws, landing a 62.5 percentage.
Staley said the team did not play as strong as she wanted, and some of the reasoning is due to their previous game against the University of Southern California. She said the game was mentally and physically taxing, causing them to fall in some places.
“I'm proud of this team,” Staley said. “This team hasn't really reached its potential yet. I think we’re getting a little bit closer to defining our identity.”