What Dawn Staley said after USC women’s basketball lost to No. 4 Texas
South Carolina women’s basketball was unable to wrap up its Thanksgiving with a win.
Dawn Staley and the No. 2 Gamecocks lost to No. 4 Texas 66-64 in the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas on Thursday.
The Longhorns won a true nail-biter of a game. South Carolina tied the game up at 64-64 with 15 seconds left on the clock but a jump shot from Rori Harmon sealed the win for Texas with 0.7 seconds remaining in the game.
South Carolina is now 7-1 on the year after the loss and will likely drop a spot or two in next week’s AP Top 25 Poll.
Here’s what Staley said after the Gamecocks’ loss.
What Staley liked from her team’s performance
Despite the loss there were still positives to take from the game, Staley said. The Gamecocks head coach said she liked the resiliency and fight the Gamecocks showed against a top-five team.
“I did like our rebounding until the fourth quarter,” Staley said. “I thought we were edging them out and rebounding. Now, I like to say that Madina got another double-double. I just like the fact that we got some experience with this team playing a team that pretty much brings back the core of their team. And if you can give them a run for their money in that way, I mean, you’re on to something. You’re on to being a better team. So, I like our resiliency. We’ve just got to clean up some things at the end of the game.”
Thoughts on the Gamecocks defense
Texas shot the ball well Thursday night, except for the second quarter. The Longhorns shot 58.8% in the first quarter, 12.5% in the second quarter, 50% in the third quarter and 47.1% in the fourth quarter.
Texas out-rebounded South Carolina 39-32 in the game but the Gamecocks forced 15 turnovers.
“I mean, we played our style of defense,” Staley said. “This is kind of who we are but with a new team, with new players that have to play significant roles for us. I like the fact that we can clearly see where we need to get better. It’s clear. We weren’t disciplined in guarding screening actions. Not very disciplined, given them an advantage before we even actually are able to get back in front of them. So we’re much more disciplined in how we guard staggers and off-ball screening.”
South Carolina will be back in Las Vegas
The Gamecocks will return to Las Vegas for the Players Era event two more times. The contract South Carolina signed with EverWonder Studio in 2024 — obtained by The State via a public records request — locked the Gamecocks in for the event in 2025, 2026 and 2027.
There are ways to get out of such contracts, but Thursday night Staley indicated she has no plans of doing so.
“Yeah, we’ll be back for two more years,” Staley said. “Positive, you get great competition. You’re able to get some quality wins. Even in this loss, it’s a quality loss. So it doesn’t really hurt us. But I like our team. I like our team. I like the fact that they gutted it out, and I like the fact that again we could see where we faltered, and when you can see that and when you have people in the game that understand it a little bit better, we’re moving the chain.”
Raven Johnson’s performance guarding a Texas star
South Carolina veteran guard Raven Johnson drew the assignment of guarding Texas’ star forward Maddison Booker.
Johnson kept Booker under wraps for a majority of the game, as she only had eight points entering the fourth quarter. Booker finished the game with 16 points and nine rebounds after scoring eight points in the final quarter.
“Anytime you’re matching up with any of the Texas guards, your number one thing is to make them be as inefficient as possible,” Staley said. “Make them miss shots. I mean, we did a really good job with Booker up to the end where she hit some really key buckets. I think we actually had to give Raven a blow. And in that blow she got hot. Once a player like that gets hot, the bucket gets pretty big. But I like Raven’s physicality. I like how she played underneath there. I like how she chased off screens and made it difficult for her to catch, because once she gets the ball, you know, she’s got some height and she can just kind of shoot over you.”
Thoughts on Joyce Edwards’ performance
The Gamecocks leading scorer couldn’t find the bottom of the bucket when South Carolina needed her most against Texas.
Sophomore star forward Joyce Edwards scored 16 points in the game, but was unable to score in the fourth quarter.
The next step for Edwards to be able to string together a full 40-minute performance is to make “plays for yourself and plays for your teammates,” Staley said.
“That’s the next step,” Staley said. “I think she had about three shots in the fourth quarter that were kind of forced. But we give her the leeway to do that. But she just has to be aware because I think she had (Tessa Johnson) in a corner. Just being aware. She’s a young player that we have to put her in situations and show her situations in real time and also gain -- this was a great game, great SEC game. Great game for us to kind of learn what we need to do in order for us to win games like this.”
Adhel Tac earns more trust from Staley
Redshirt sophomore Adhel Tac was given some flowers by Staley after the game.
Tac played eight minutes off the bench in the loss but recorded two points, four rebounds and two blocks. She played in the final two minutes of the game after Madina Okot fouled out.
“I’m not upset at all at this game,” Staley said. “This is going to help us because there are a lot of things to unpack in it. We play some players that needed to get experience in big-time games. And then I think we found someone that could -- we’re a little more comfortable with putting in the game in Adhel Tac. That gave us valuable minutes. And I like her energy and effort out there. And I like her rebounding.”
This story was originally published November 28, 2025 at 10:37 AM.
