The South Carolina women's basketball team went to Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and won its 25th game in a row against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Dawn Staley era, 76-57.
South Carolina opened the game strong despite Alabama's attempts to restrict the Gamecocks by playing zone defense, going up 12-2 after four minutes, with senior center Madina Okot scoring 6 of those points.
Alabama attempted to work its way back into the game with a 3-pointer from redshirt senior guard Jessica Timmons to cut the lead to 12-5, but junior guard Tessa Johnson responded with her only 3-pointer of the game to keep the Gamecock lead in double digits at 15-5.
Junior guard Diana Collins, who scored the Alabama's first basket, scored an and-one basket to reduce the lead to 15-8.
South Carolina controlled the remainder of the quarter. Senior forward Maryam Dauda scored a layup, and sophomore guard Maddy McDaniel cashed in on four free throws to give the Gamecocks a 21-8 advantage after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, freshman forward Alicia Tournebize opened the scoring with a jumper. After that basket, the Crimson Tide briefly left its zone defense and went on an 11-0 run to make the score 23-19. Okot answered for the Gamecocks with a timely 3-pointer, sparking a 9-0 run the other way to restore South Carolina's advantage to 32-19.
Senior guard Ta'Mia Scott made a 3-pointer and an and-one layup as part of her 8 second-quarter points, while another and-one by redshirt sophomore forward Naomi Jones reduced the South Carolina lead to 34-27 with a little under four minutes left in the second quarter.
In response, McDaniel, sophomore forward Joyce Edwards and Okot all made jumpers to restore the double-digit lead at 42-27. Alabama managed to keep the deficit under control in the remainder of the first half, as the score was 42-32 heading into the break.
Alabama shot well from distance in the second quarter , going 5-8 from 3-point range. This helped them outscore the Gamecocks by three points in that period, and stay in the game. .
Offensively, Edwards' 9 points and senior guard Ta'Niya Latson's 4 points notched 13 of South Carolina's 15 third-quarter points. Edwards spearheaded the South Carolina offense with 23 points.
Alabama continued to let it fly from beyond the arc, as it shot 4-8 from 3-point range in the third quarter. Alabama's freshman guard Ace Austin provided a spark off the bench, making two 3-pointers in the third period.
Junior forward Essence Cody and senior guard Karly Weathers also contributed 3-pointers of their own during the closing minutes of the third quarter. These shots helped pace an 8-0 Alabama run that brought the game back to single digits for the final frame, at 57-50 in favor of the Gamecocks.
Edwards opened the fourth quarter with a pair of layups, and Scott made a layup of her own to help the Crimson Tide keep pace. It seemed that another back and forth quarter was in order after the second and third quarters, where Alabama outscored the Gamecocks 42-36.
Okot made her second of two 3-pointers on the night to bring the South Carolina lead up to 12 points, 64-52. Okot's 16 points and 16 rebounds on the night marked her fourth consecutive game with a double-double.
Cody made a pair of free throws to bring South Carolina's advantage back down to 10 to give the Crimson Tide a chance with seven minutes left in the final quarter.
South Carolina's defense took that chance away by not allowing any points for the next six minutes, and Edwards, senior guard Raven Johnson, freshman guard Agot Makeer and McDaniel all contributed to a 10-0 run that sealed the game for the Gamecocks. With just over one minute left in the game, South Carolina was up 74-54.
South Carolina held Alabama to just 7 fourth-quarter points, with 3 of them being scored in the final minute. The dominant fourth quarter helped balloon South Carolina's victory to 76-57.
Going into this game, Edwards led the team in points per game (20), and in 20-point games (15), so it was fitting that she continued this run with a 23 point game against Alabama. She demonstrated why she is on the Naismith Women's College Player of the Year late-season watchlist with her smart, patient and efficient play.
What's next?
The Gamecocks return to Colonial Life Arena in another ranked SEC matchup against No. 17 Ole Miss at noon Sunday.