What Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said about Ta’Niya Latson’s injury
South Carolina senior guard Ta’Niya Latson sustained what appeared to be a lower leg injury in the Gamecocks’ 96-55 win over Providence on Sunday.
Latson went down during a layup attempt at the 4:18 minute mark in the second quarter and immediately started grabbing her left ankle area.
She was helped to the locker room by USC head athletic trainer Craig Oates. Latson didn’t put any weight on her left foot while being helped off the court.
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley didn’t have an in-depth update on Latson but did she said was “smiling” and remained with the team after the game.
“She was here. She got treatment all second half. ... We’ll look at her tomorrow,” Staley said.
Latson had 10 points in 11 minutes before she exited the game. She was 4-for-5 from the field and also had four assists and one rebound. She did not return to the bench after the injury.
Latson has excelled so far in her first season as a Gamecock. She came into Sunday’s game averaging 17.4 points per game on a career-high 51% shooting from the field.
What this means for the Gamecocks
Staley and the Gamecocks have been short-handed in nearly every game they’ve played this season. So while South Carolina will certainly miss Latson if she’s out for an extended period of time, few teams are better suited to playing with a thin roster.
Latson’s absence will leave a void in the scoring column as she’s second on the team in scoring.
If Latson misses time she there will be extra minutes to go around for South Carolina’s bench guards in Agot Makeer, Ayla McDowell and Maddy McDaniel.
Makeer return to action Sunday after missing a month in concussion protocol. She recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. McDowell was the first player off the bench against Providence and scored eight points in 20 minutes of action.
South Carolina’s two other starting guards (Tessa Johnson and Raven Johnson) would have to carry a bit of an extra load if Latson were to miss any time.
This story was originally published December 28, 2025 at 2:54 PM.
