The No. 4 South Carolina women's basketball team (23-2, 11-1 SEC) extended its home winning streak to 71 games with a 101-63 win over the Florida Gators (12-13, 3-8 SEC) at Colonial Life Arena on Thursday night.
The Gamecocks’ victory was its 17th straight win in the series, the longest winning streak in the rivalry's history.
“We win and we lose at the time that we need to. We respond when we don’t play well, there are things that we dissect,” head coach Dawn Staley said. “We just wanted to get back in the win column, just to feel good and get back to some normalcy when it comes to playing the style we need to.”
Senior guard Te-Hina Paopao opened the scoring for the Gamecocks with a 3-pointer and layup, forcing a timeout by the Gators as South Carolina went on a 7-point run to start the first quarter.
As the first quarter went on, the Gamecocks extended its lead to 23 points with a 3-pointer from junior guard Raven Johnson and breakaway layup by sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley. South Carolina ended the first quarter in control with a 36-15 advantage, marking its highest scoring quarter of the season.
In the second quarter, several layups and a jumper by freshman forward Joyce Edwards were followed by a fourth 3-pointer from Paopao, who started 4-4 from deep.
“She’s an elevator, she elevates our team. When Pao hits a three, it seems to kind of allow all of us exhale because she’s been that potent for us from an offensive standpoint,” Staley said. “She’s a playmaker, she’s one that we want the ball in her hands.”
The Gamecocks took a 30 point lead in the second quarter through 3-point shots from sophomore guard Tessa Johnson, freshman guard Maddy McDaniel and senior guard Bree Hall. Florida continued to struggle offensively, enduring a 2:13 scoring drought and committing nine turnovers. South Carolina went into halftime with a 62-32 lead, with Edwards leading the Gamecocks with 18 first-half points.
“She wants to be the very best in everything that she does and she doesn’t lack the work ethic to do it,” Staley said. “She’s a person that is regimented in how she does things, which is really a gift.”
Raven Johnson got inside for a jumper and layup to continue the Gamecocks’ attack at the beginning of the second half, while the Gators responded with an 8-0 run. Back-to-back layups by Edwards and senior forward Sania Feagin restored the Gamecocks’ lead to 32 points.
A 6-0 run by the Gamecocks in the fourth quarter included two free throws and a layup by Edwards. Another pointless stretch by the Gators allowed the Gamecocks to close out the final few minutes, with neither team scoring a field goal for over three minutes.
The Gamecocks reached 100 points for just the second time this season following a layup by Fulwiley with just over a minute left in the game.
Shooting efficiency proves decisive
The Gamecocks shot 23-for-43 (53.5%) from the field in the first half, compared to Florida’s 11-36 (30.6%). From the 3-point range, South Carolina shot 8-12 (66.7%) while Florida went 4-12 (33.3%).
Setting the tone to end the first half, the Gamecocks knocked down five of its last six shots from the field while Florida shot 1-8 in contrast.
All eight of South Carolina’s 3-pointers came in the first half, with Paopao shooting 4-4 from beyond the arc while recording 14 points and six assists.
South Carolina finished the game 36-78 (46.2%) from field goal range, with Florida shooting 22-for-66 (33.3%).
Gamecocks showcase speed, clinical on fastbreaks
South Carolina scored 27 fast break points in transition along with 24 off of opposition turnovers. Florida committed 17 turnovers compared to the Gamecocks’ six.
“It was a really fast-paced game, we got up and down, we pushed the ball,” Staley said. “It just helps us open up the game. It frees us up, makes us a little bit more loose to play defense and a little bit more motivated to play defense when you can score quickly on offense.”
The Gamecocks were able to reclaim the ball on the defensive side of the basket, grabbing 34 defensive rebounds compared to Florida’s 13 on the offensive end, allowing South Carolina to rush back down the court quickly.
“Coach always emphasizes running the floor in transition, I feel like today, Florida was a little slow in getting back and we were able to exploit that,” Edwards said.
Joyce Edwards hits career high
Edwards scored a season high of 28 points, surpassing her previous best of 21 points against Alabama last month. Her tally sets the record for the most points by a South Carolina player all season.
The last South Carolina freshman to score at least 28 in any game was Kelsey Bone, who scored 32 against Clemson in November 2009.
“You take it game by game, obviously Texas was a little rough, but you watch film and you learn from it," Edwards said. "In every situation you learn, and I feel like that’s what I did today, coming out and executing."
The No. 3 recruit in the 2024 class shot 10-17 from the field, converted all eight of her free throws and added five assists while at times having to play as a lone forward among four guards on the court.
“If teams are going to go small on us, we might as well get practice in it. We only utilized it today because of Feagin and (junior forward Chloe) Kitts' foul trouble,” Staley said.
What’s next?
The Gamecocks (23-2, 11-1 SEC) return to action on Feb. 16 against No. 7 UConn (23-3, 14-0 Big East) with tipoff scheduled for 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ABC, with College GameDay set to be present.