No. 2 Gamecocks top No. 8 Southern Cal in ‘Real SC’ battle. What we learned
South Carolina earned the right to be called “The Real SC” after a win in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
Dawn Staley and the No. 2 Gamecocks improved to 4-0 on the year after beating No. 8 Southern Cal 69-52 at Crypto Arena. The Gamecocks and Trojans are facing off in a two-game neutral-site series called “The Real SC.” They’ll play again next season at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville.
“We got the title until we play them again next year,” Staley said. “So until November 15th in Greenville we’re gonna wear that title with pride. So we are, yes, the real USC.”
The Gamecocks had four of their five starters score in double-figures in Saturday’s win. Joyce Edwards and Raven Johnson both finished with double-doubles. Edwards recorded 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Johnson tallied 14 points and 11 rebounds. Tessa Johnson finished with 14 points and Ta’Niya Latson scored 12.
“[Joyce] is a total crash out on both sides of the ball and I mean that in the most affectionate way,” Staley said of Edwards’ performance. “Like she wants to win, she’s very competitive, and she plays both sides of the basketball. So I’m challenging her to be the best two-way player on the floor every time she steps on the floor.”
Early ranked win added to Gamecocks resume
The win gives the Gamecocks a nice early addition to their NCAA Tournament resume.
South Carolina is now 1-0 on the year against Top 25 teams. It’s the seventh consecutive year the Gamecocks have beaten the first ranked opponent they played .
The Gamecocks are 133-71 against ranked teams in the Dawn Staley era. Since the start of the 2021-22 season South Carolina is 48-5 against Top 25 teams.
Third quarter separation makes a difference
South Carolina was leading 32-30 going into halftime but used a third-quarter push to help secure the win.
The Gamecocks had some trouble on offense in the first half, shooting just 33% from the field, but found some momentum in the third.
South Carolina started the third quarter on a 15-6 run and got out to an 11-point lead.
The Gamecocks got their shooting percentage up to 47.6% in the third period and outscored Southern Cal 23-15 in the period. That helped South Carolina take a 55-45 lead into the fourth quarter.
Difference in the paint helps again
The size of the South Carolina roster made a difference once again on Saturday. For reference, the Trojans have just one player listed above 6-foot-3 compared with South Carolina’s three. Southern Cal also has five players listed at under 6 feet, while South Carolina has just three.
That height difference helped South Carolina gain an advantage over the Trojans in various paint-related statistics in the win.
Staley’s squad out-rebounded Southern Cal 56-32 in the game. Of those, 21 were offensive rebounds.
South Carolina recorded 44 points in the paint compared with Southern Cal’s 28. The Gamecocks also recorded seven blocks as a team.
Okot led South Carolina with 15 rebounds. Raven Johnson (11) and Edwards (10) were right behind her with double-digit rebounds.
“I’m going to give a lot of credit to Madina, who just really controlled the paint,” Staley said. “She was where we needed her to be, time and time again.”
South Carolina WBB’s next four games
- Wednesday: vs Winthrop, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Sunday, Nov. 23: vs Queens, 2 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Wednesday, Nov. 26: vs Duke in Players Era Championship in Las Vegas, 4:30 p.m. (truTV)
- Thursday, Nov. 27: vs Texas or UCLA in Players Era Championship in Las Vegas, 8 or 10:30 p.m. (truTV)
This story was originally published November 15, 2025 at 11:11 PM.
