The No. 1 South Carolina women's basketball team defeated No. 9 NC State 71-57 in Charlotte to claim its second win of the 2024-2025 season and 40th consecutive victory overall.
The Wolfpack is one of three teams ranked in the top 10 that the Gamecocks will face in the month of November, something head coach Dawn Staley said is preparing her team for the end of the year.
A graphic of the final score between South Carolina and NC State reads, "South Carolina Gamecocks, 71," and "NC State Wolfpack, 57".
"That's why we put the schedule together the way that we did is because we wanna challenge ourselves." Staley said. "It may end up in a loss somewhere down the line or two, but we're working towards playing in March and April in November and December."
The teams last faced off against each other in the 2024 Final Four, where the Gamecocks defeated the Wolfpack 78-59 on the team's way to win the program's third national championship.
Throughout the first quarter, neither team went on an extensive scoring run to pull away from their opponent, with senior guard Te-Hina Paopao being the game's leading scorer with 23 points.
South Carolina went on a 11-0 run to open up the second quarter, but the Gamecocks responded with an 18-5 run of its own to hold a 39-30 advantage at the half. During this second-quarter scoring run, sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 9 of her 18 points.
South Carolina remained ahead for much of the third quarter not only due to big individual performances by Paopao and Fulwiley but also from freshman forward Joyce Edwards, who finished the game with 8 points.
Edwards received praise from teammates, including Fulwiley, after the game.
"Joyce is a great player, and I know what she's capable of every time she's given a chance she's going to prove herself," Fulwiley said. "I just keep reminding her every day how great she is as a player and how good of a person she is off the court."
The Gamecocks maintained its lead as the game progressed because of its rebounding advantage. Over the course of the entire game, South Carolina grabbed 40 rebounds to just 25 from NC State. South Carolina also scored 12 second-chance points from offensive rebounds. Junior guard Raven Johnson led the team in rebounds with nine and scored 4 points.
The Wolfpack would not go away quietly, bringing South Carolina’s lead down to just 7 points midway through the fourth quarter. But timely baskets from Paopao and Johnson kept the Gamecocks in front and helped seal the win.
Sunday's game also marked the season debut for junior forward Ashlyn Watkins, who had been suspended from team activities all season until charges against her were dropped on Nov. 1. In her first game this season, Watkins scored 6 points to go along with six rebounds.
Big game for Gamecock guards
Fulwiley and Paopao managed to keep the Gamecocks afloat on the offensive end, with both players combining to score 39 points — over half of the team's 71 total points.
Paopao ended the game with 23 points, which marked her highest single-game scoring total since transferring from Oregon back in 2023. She also went 3-7 from the 3-point line, making her the only Gamecock to make multiple 3-pointers.
Paopao led the country in 3-point shooting percentage during the 2023-2024 season.
"We're a team full of hoopers, and everyone had their night. Me and Lay (Fulwiley) had our night tonight — it can be a different night where someone else has a good game," Paopao said. "I appreciate my teammates looking for me, finding me and just being able to keep the hot hand."
Fulwiley struggled in the season opener, scoring just 4 points while shooting 20% from the field. But she finished Sunday's game as South Carolina's second-leading scorer. Fulwiley averaged 11.7 points in her first season in the garnet and black.
Shooting struggles continue
Aside from Paopao and Fulwiley, the rest of the Gamecocks struggled from behind the arc, with no other player making a 3-pointer.
South Carolina did not shoot a lot of 3-pointers — just 16.8 per game — last season, but the team did hit 39.5% of those attempts, the third-highest percentage in the country.
The team has shot under 30% from behind the arc in its first two games — 19.2% against Michigan and 28.6% against NC State.
Even with these shooting struggles, South Carolina still remained a strong force inside, scoring 50 points in the paint against the Wolfpack. Not only was this 20 more points than the Wolfpack were able to accumulate, but it was also where 70% of South Carolina's total points came from.
Turnovers from both sides
Both teams struggled to take care of the basketball, with South Carolina committing 20 turnovers and NC State having 21 of its own. But South Carolina was able to score 22 points off of turnovers, compared to just 17 from the Wolfpack.
"This is a great game to play, but it also reveals some of your weaknesses. We know of them because we play this type of game," Staley said. "You can beat somebody by 50 points, and you can pay for guarantee games, but you can't pay for the lessons you put your players through."
In the Gamecocks' first game this season against Michigan, the team scored just 10 points off turnovers from the Wolverines but only turned the ball over 10 times.
Whats next?
South Carolina will play its first home game on Nov. 14 against Coppin State. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.