No. 3 South Carolina is set to play No. 25 Alabama in a women’s basketball game on Thursday night, with tipoff scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
South Carolina’s offense is among the most effective in the country, ranking third nationally in field goal percentage and sixth in three-point shooting, leading the SEC in both categories. Against ranked opponents, the Gamecocks have maintained high shooting percentages, hitting nearly 48 percent from the field and over 41 percent from beyond the arc.
Defensively, South Carolina leads the SEC in field goal percentage defense and three-point percentage defense and is second in points allowed per game. In games against ranked teams, opponents average just over 67 points while shooting about 40 percent overall.
The Gamecocks are also fifth nationally in blocks per game and have consistently outperformed ranked opponents during third quarters this season.
In individual performances, Madina Okot leads all SEC post players with an average of 3.25 combined steals and blocks per conference game, while Joyce Edwards ranks second among frontcourt players with just over three stocks per game.
Junior guard Tessa Johnson stands out as the only player in the SEC top ten for both overall field goal percentage (ninth) and three-point accuracy (first). Her three-point rate is third-best nationally.
Senior point guard Raven Johnson has been recognized on the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watch list for her defensive impact that goes beyond traditional statistics: “In nine games against ranked teams, those teams scored 0.750 points per possession with Johnson on the court compared to 0.949 when she was not,” according to team data.
Madina Okot has recorded double-doubles in her last three games since returning to South Carolina’s starting lineup.
Head coach Dawn Staley has achieved significant milestones during her tenure at South Carolina: “Dawn Staley is one of four head coaches to win 500 games at an SEC school while it was in the league.”
South Carolina currently leads its all-time series against Alabama by a margin of 34-15 and has won every meeting under Coach Staley since she took over before the 2008-09 season. The teams last met on New Year’s Day this season, when South Carolina secured an 83-57 victory behind Joyce Edwards’ team-high 25 points.
Against ranked teams under Staley’s leadership since taking over before the 2008-09 campaign, South Carolina holds a record of .656 winning percentage; since 2014-15 that mark rises to .785 including a .885 mark since start of the 2021-22 season when playing ranked opponents while being higher-ranked themselves (.837).
This year alone, South Carolina has posted a record of seven wins and two losses against ranked opposition—four victories coming at home—with additional wins split between road and neutral-site contests.
Sophomore forward Joyce Edwards continues to make an impact after earning First-Team All-SEC honors as a freshman: “Her team-high 20.0 points per game rank 19th in the nation (3rd in SEC), including a team-best fifteen twenty-point outings.” She recently reached her thousandth career point during her sophomore campaign—a feat accomplished faster than most previous program members—and contributes across multiple statistical categories including assists, rebounds (six per contest), blocks (1.2), and steals (1.9).
Edwards has received multiple weekly awards throughout this season for her performances.
