Despite Louisville playing neck and neck with the Gamecocks throughout the game, South Carolina’s offense persevered, with the starting players showcasing their scoring ability on the court.
“It was a great basketball game,” head coach Dawn Staley said. “We both executed. It was a heavyweight boxing match, and it came down to just who was going to make the biggest plays at the moment you need them the most.”
Senior center Madina Okot led the team in scoring with 23 points while also grabbing 13 rebounds, marking her seventh double-double of the season.
Junior guard Tessa Johnson followed with 20 points, with 12 of those points coming from 3-pointers. Tessa Johnson was 4-7, scoring half of the team’s total 3-pointers. Tessa Johnson also led the team in points scored during the first quarter with 10 points.
Sophomore forward Joyce Edwards totaled 12 points during the game, stepping up during the first quarter, where she went 4-5 for field goals, scoring eight points. In part, Edwards capitalized on a few steals, easily scoring layups in the process.
While Okot, Tessa Johnson, and Edwards stepped up during the first quarter, senior guard Raven Johnson took over in the second quarter, shooting 3-4 from the field and dishing out one of her eight total assists.
Senior guard Ta’Niya Latson rounded out the night with nine points. Despite scoring a season low of nine points, the Florida State transfer stepped up at the beginning of the third quarter to give the Gamecocks an 11-point lead following a layup and 3-pointer.
Latson, Tessa Johnson and Raven Johnson played 38 minutes each, in part due to freshman guard Agot Makeer being in concussion protocol. Staley said they have got to adjust to playing for long periods of time.
“They got to play heavy minutes for us until we develop our bench a little bit more,” Staley said.
Following the scoring performances from Tessa Johnson and Okot, this is the fourth time in the last five games that at least two Gamecock starters have scored 20 or more points.
South Carolina's starters scored 75 of their 79 points. The only players who came off the bench and scored were freshman guard Ayla McDowell, who had three points, and sophomore forward Adhel Tac, who scored one point.
Overall, South Carolina was able to come out on top against the Cardinals in more ways than one, even by the smallest of margins.
“I learned that we do have some resiliency to see it through,” Staley said. “Whether we won or lost this basketball game, it was a great game, and we took steps forward.”
While both teams grabbed 34 rebounds, South Carolina scored more points in the paint with 36, compared to 30 for Louisville. While Louisville earned a 62.5% layup completion rate compared to a 56% layup completion rate by South Carolina, the Gamecocks led the Cardinals in scoring percentage at 52.9% to 49.3%.
The Gamecocks also beat out the Cardinals in terms of 3-pointers. While South Carolina went 8-16, Louisville went 9-23, a 50% completion rate versus a 39.1% completion rate.
South Carolina also drew more defensive fouls from Louisville, and they headed to the line to make 11 out of 17, a 64.7% completion rate. On the other hand, Louisville went 6-10, a 60% completion rate.
And while each team went 12-19 in the first quarter in terms of field goals made versus field goals attempted, South Carolina was able to pull a slight edge during the second half, going 6-10 compared to Louisville going 5-12.
The one thing that South Carolina seemed to struggle with was turnovers. During the game, the Gamecocks handed 12 turnovers to Louisville, and while the Cardinals put up the same amount, South Carolina currently averages 11.8 turnovers per game on the season.