The South Carolina women's basketball team is heading to Sacramento, California, after winning its first and second-round March Madness games at Colonial Life Arena this past weekend. The No. 1 seed Gamecocks will get a chance to avenge an early-season loss when they take on the No. 4 seeded Oklahoma Sooners on March 28 at 5 p.m. at the Golden 1 Center.
Dominant start
Head coach Dawn Staley led the program to its sixth consecutive No. 1 seed this season. The team's first game of the NCAA Tournament came against No. 16 seed Southern University on March 21. The Jaguars defeated Samford in a First Four game on March 19 to advance to the Round of 64 against the Gamecocks, who proceeded to set a program-record 69-point, 103-34 victory.
Five Gamecocks reached double-figure scoring in the rout, with freshman guard Agot Makeer notching a career-high 16 points in an increased 26-minute workload. Makeer stepped up in the absence of sophomore guard Maddy McDaniel, who missed the first round and played just two minutes in the second.
Sophomore forward Joyce Edwards' 27 points marked a new career-high for her in March Madness. She shot an efficient 78.6% (11-14) from the field while adding eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.
The real SC
Edwards' dominance carried over into the team's second-round matchup with No. 9 seed Southern California, where her 23 points helped lead the team to a 101-61 victory. The Gamecocks opened the game on a 13-0 run, then ended the first half on a 16-0 run.
The 40-point win over the Trojans capped off an 18-0 record at home for South Carolina this season, with senior guard Raven Johnson notching the 1,000th point of her career in her final game in Columbia.
"I would've never thought I would've hit 1,000 points," Raven Johnson said. "To hit it my last game here at the CLA means a lot."
Makeer had another career day in the second round, posting 15 points and grabbing four steals. Her totals in her first two career NCAA Tournament games come to 31 points, seven steals and six assists.
"She's the X-factor of this team," Raven Johnson said. "She's like a silent killer. It's things that (she does) that no freshman — or I haven't seen no freshman done."
South Carolina dominated Southern California in the paint Monday, out-rebounding the team 43-27. Senior center Madina Okot had eight rebounds in the first quarter and posted a double-double by halftime.
A chance at redemption
The Gamecocks' next opponent, the Oklahoma Sooners, were able to hand South Carolina its only Southeastern Conference loss this season by dominating in the paint and out-rebounding the team 54-39 on Jan. 22.
Okot was benched for a stretch of games following the team's road loss to the Sooners. She had 6 points on 3-9 (33.3%) shooting and grabbed just four rebounds. Oklahoma senior center Raegan Beers posted an 18-point, 14-rebound double-double in the win.
"I think Madina is going to be ready," Raven Johnson said. "She's back. I think she's ready; she knows what to expect against her matchup, and I think she's going to do a really good job."
While South Carolina looks to be better in the paint, the team will also need to account for Oklahoma freshman guard Aaliyah Chavez. She scored 15 overtime points in the victory against South Carolina, knocking down all four 3-pointers she attempted in the period. This season, she's averaging 18.3 points and 4.2 assists per game.
After that 94-82 loss in late January, the Gamecocks won 12 straight games before losing to Texas in the SEC Championship. Oklahoma dropped games to No. 4 Texas, No. 5 Vanderbilt and No. 6 LSU after the matchup with South Carolina.
Heating up as competition toughens
Gamecock junior guard Tessa Johnson has regained her rhythm from beyond the arc in the tournament, as she's shooting 50% (6-12) from the 3-point line across the two tournament games. Previously, she had made nine of her last 26 attempts across the team's final five games.
South Carolina has been efficient in its scoring efforts through two games with a field goal percentage of 54.2% (78-144), something that will need to be maintained in order to keep pace with an Oklahoma offense that averages the most possessions per game in the country. In the Jan. 22 game, the Gamecocks shot 37% (30-80) from the field.
"The stakes are higher," Staley said. "Hopefully we can fly out there and play our best basketball because we have yet to play that."