South Carolina women's basketball became the regular season champions of the Southeastern Conference at home on Sunday with its 85-48 win over No. 17 Ole Miss. The Gamecocks held the Rebels to 26.5% shooting from the field in a defensive effort that sealed the win well before the fourth quarter.
ESPN's "College Gameday" show was in attendance for the game, and Colonial Life Arena hosted a sold-out crowd for the first time this season across both men's and women's basketball. South Carolina is averaging the highest attendance in the country this season at 15,838 fans. Sunday was the 22nd sellout for Gamecock women's basketball in the Dawn Staley era.
The game's first quarter implied a much closer contest than what was to come. Despite the Gamecocks turning the ball over six times to the Rebels' three, South Carolina outnumbered Mississippi in fast break points 8-2 in the period. The Gamecocks shot 75% from the field with sophomore forward Joyce Edwards' 10 points leading the way.
South Carolina entered the second quarter with a 20-16 lead. Senior center Madina Okot had 5 of the team's first 7 points in the period, including a 3-pointer, her third consecutive make dating back to the team's previous game.
Okot's second 3-pointer of the quarter pushed the score to 42-23. Her 8 points led the team in the second.
Despite not scoring for the final 2:13 of the half, the Gamecocks led by 16 at the game's midway point. South Carolina forced a seven-minute field goal drought.
Mississippi made only three shots across 14 total attempts in the second quarter, including five misses without a make from the 3-point line.
Both teams had seven total turnovers at half, but the Gamecocks capitalized on Ole Miss' turnovers, scoring 13 points off turnovers compared to the Rebels' 4. South Carolina led fast break points 14-2 as well.
The third quarter began with a 15-3 run in the Gamecocks' favor. A steal and score by senior guard Ta'Niya Latson pushed the game to a score of 48-25, the team's largest lead up until that point.
At the 6:18 mark, Okot blocked Mississippi senior forward Cotie McMahon, who was 0-7 from the field at the time. McMahon was two games removed from a 39-point, 10-rebound outing against No. 21 Tennessee on Tuesday.
Entering the game, McMahon was averaging 20.7 points, the third most in the SEC.
"She was the emphasis in what we wanted to do," Staley said. "Once she sees daylight, she really is unguardable. I thought our players did a good job, Raven especially."
McMahon finished with 2 points and two rebounds. She attempted nine field goals without a single make.
By the 1:17 mark in the third quarter, the Rebels had made just one of their last 16 shot attempts. Latson had three steals in the period, and the Gamecocks finished the third quarter up by 32 points.
"Once the third quarter hit, that's usually our quarter to take the game," Latson said.
Mississippi's 15.8% success rate from the field in the third quarter was the lowest by either team at any point in the game. Latson grabbed three steals in the third quarter alone, and South Carolina combined for six total blocks in the period.
The fourth quarter began much like the second, with 5 points from Okot, including a 3-pointer. Her three makes from beyond the arc were a career-high. She has made five consecutive triples across the team's last two games. No Gamecock has made more.
"It's one thing to have to battle with her around the basket" said Rebel head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. "But she started looking like Steph Curry. I was like, 'We might as well pack it up.'"
Okot was removed from the starting lineup after the team's overtime loss to Oklahoma on Jan. 22. After injuries hit the team, she returned to the starting lineup against Mississippi State on Feb. 5.
"It always makes me feel really good, almost emotional, when you see a young person go through some stuff, and they really can't see their way out of it," Staley said. "She even says she's back. When they're able to verbalize that, you know they're in a really good place."
She's notched a double-double in five straight games since returning to the starting lineup. She has four blocks in back-to-back games.
"I felt too much pressure," Okot said. "And (Staley) had to take that pressure off of me by removing me from the starting lineup, and it really helped me. I was back, and I am here."
In sealing the 37-point victory, South Carolina clinched the first seed in the upcoming SEC tournament and its fifth consecutive regular season conference title. With a win over Missouri on Thursday, it will win the conference outright, having clinched a share of the title on Sunday.
What's next?
South Carolina will host Missouri at Colonial Life Arena on Thursday, where it will have the opportunity to earn its 14th win in conference play this season. The Tigers are 16-13 overall and 4-10 in conference play this season.