Gamecock women's basketball convincingly defeated No. 5 Vanderbilt at home on Sunday with a score of 103-74. The Commodores entered the matchup as one of two remaining undefeated teams in the country, alongside only Connecticut.
South Carolina exploded right out of the gate, with freshman guard Agot Makeer scoring immediately following tipoff. She started over senior center Madina Okot today after Okot struggled down the stretch in the team's loss to No. 16 Oklahoma.
The Gamecocks were swarming on defense early, notching three steals in the game’s first two minutes. All three led to points, giving South Carolina an 11-2 lead and forcing an early timeout by the Commodores.
A 3-pointer from senior guard Raven Johnson gave the team its first double-digit lead of the day at 14-4, with slightly over seven minutes left in the first quarter.
Okot subbed into the game for the first time midway through the first period and quickly contributed, grabbing a steal at midcourt that led to her first points of the day.
Junior guard Tessa Johnson got going early too. She lifted the Gamecocks to an early 21-7 lead with her first triple of the day.
Nearing the end of the period, Vanderbilt sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes scored her first points of the game after starting the day 0-4 from the field. Blakes entered the matchup averaging the second-most points per game in the SEC at 23.3. In conference play, she had averaged 28.3 across six games.
A buzzer-beating 3-pointer from senior guard Ta'Niya Latson ended the first quarter with a Gamecock lead of 17 and a score of 33-16. South Carolina shot 72% from the field in the period across 18 total shot attempts.
Vanderbilt turned the ball over eight times compared to South Carolina’s four in the first quarter. The Gamecocks scored 20 of their 33 points in the paint compared to the Commodores' 4 total points in the paint.
Shortly into the second quarter, Okot notched her third steal of the game in just seven minutes of playing time. Tessa Johnson capitalized on the other end, then knocked down a triple on the next offensive possession to give the Gamecocks a 19-point lead at 38-19.
Vanderbilt went on a 7-0 run midway through the second, making four of five shot attempts. Four free-throw makes from Makeer across the next two possessions brought the lead back up to 18.
Latson was a force early. When she subbed back into the game midway through the second quarter, she quickly scored on a tough step-through finish to get to 12 points. She had three assists and two rebounds in the first half as well.
Vanderbilt scored the first half’s final 6 points, cutting the deficit to 11 and pushing the score to 55-44 in the Gamecocks' favor.
Despite her slow start, Vanderbilt’s Blakes had posted 18 points, five rebounds and three assists in the first half. The Commodores caught up to the Gamecocks in field goal percentage at 63% compared to South Carolina’s mark of 64.5%.
The Gamecocks dominated in their capitalization off Vanderbilt’s turnovers, scoring 24 points off turnovers compared to the Commodores’ 7.
By the halfway mark, South Carolina had three players in double-figures: Tessa Johnson with 14, Latson with 12 and Okot with 11.
A three from sophomore guard Maddy McDaniel earned the Gamecocks their first points of the second half. Shortly afterwards, a powerful block by Raven Johnson led to a converted and-one by Edwards at the other end. A triple from Tessa Johnson then pushed the score to 70-50.
The Gamecocks were on a 15-2 run across a four-minute stretch. The Commodores had made just one of their last eight shots.
Vanderbilt took a timeout with 2:01 to play in the third quarter after Tessa Johnson hit her fourth 3-pointer of the day, pushing her to 20 points in the game. South Carolina led 77-53 and had knocked down five of its last seven shots.
A triple by Raven Johnson ended the third quarter 82-56. The Gamecocks shot 58% in the quarter across 19 total shots. The Commodores made just five shots across 20 attempts.
Two buckets from Okot to start the fourth quarter pushed her point total to 17. She added seven rebounds and five steals on the day as well. By the five-minute mark in the fourth quarter, South Carolina had a 90-62 lead.
A layup from Makeer gave the Gamecocks 100 points on the day, and a three from freshman guard Ayla McDowell capped off the team at 103. The team secured a 29-point victory, 103-74.
South Carolina finished the day shooting 61.5% from the field with just three players shooting below 50% in the game. The team’s 58.8% success rate from three is its best mark of the season, surpassing its 55.6% rate against Clemson on Nov. 11.
Latson led the way with 21 points, followed by Tessa Johnson with 20 and Okot with 17. Edwards and Raven Johnson tied for a team-high six assists each, while Edwards' and Okot’s seven rebounds apiece also led the way.
What's next?
The No. 2 Gamecocks (20-2, 6-1 SEC) travel to Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama, to take on the Auburn Tigers (13-8, 2-5 SEC) on Thursday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m., and it will be broadcast on the SEC Network.