Ta’Niya Latson returns just in time for South Carolina WBB’s rematch with Texas
Dawn Staley and the South Carolina women’s basketball team got one of their best players back on Sunday.
And it comes just in time for one of the biggest games of the year for the Gamecocks.
Star guard Ta’Niya Latson returned to action in South Carolina’s 65-43 win over Georgia on Sunday. Latson missed the first three games of SEC play after leaving South Carolina’s game against Providence on Dec. 28 early with a sprained ankle.
“It’s great to have everybody back healthy,” Staley said. “Ta’Niya has been working her butt off in rehab. Rehab gets kind of boring, so you heal up a little bit quicker so you won’t have to be in that routine of having to do rehab, and you’re actually in practices. So it was great to have her back.”
Latson slid immediately back into the starting lineup against the Bulldogs and played 20 minutes, going 3-for-9 from the floor for nine points . Latson also tallied three rebounds, three assists and a steal.
“Obviously, it sucks not being out there, but I was able to learn from Chloe [Kitts] and from my coaching staff, and just seeing things differently,” Latson said. “I feel like today I just got my feet wet. I’m just looking to continue to build off of this today and take these things day by day.”
Why it matters
Colonial Life Arena will play host to a Top 5 matchup when No. 2 South Carolina and No. 4 Texas play on Thursday.
It’s the second time the two teams have faced off this season. Texas dealt South Carolina its lone loss back in November in Las Vegas . The Longhorns beat South Carolina 66-64 on a last second shot from Rori Harmon.
The win bumped Texas up to No. 2 in the country, where it stayed until a loss to LSU on Sunday dropped the Longhorns back to No. 4 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll.
South Carolina was at full-strength last time the two teams played and fell just short of beating Texas. Playing Thursday’s game without Latson wouldn’t necessarily guarantee a win for Texas by any means, but it would certainly tip the scales in favor of the Longhorns a bit.
Latson’s return means South Carolina is getting its second-leading scorer back before one of the biggest games of the year. Latson, who scored a team-high 16 in the loss to Texas in November, is averaging 16.3 points per game and has career-high marks in field goal percentage (50.9%) and 3-point percentage. She’s a large part of why South Carolina is No. 5 in the nation in scoring at 89.7 points per game .
South Carolina was able to win games against Florida and Georgia despite generally off nights on offense. But that likely won’t be the case against Texas, Staley basically said.
“You’re gonna have to put more than 65 points on the scoreboard to beat Texas, I think,” Staley said. “…We got to have a really solid game on both sides of the ball to be Texas. It’s a big game for us, everyone knows that. A lot of implications regarding the game that are near and far.”
Latson’s return also coincides with South Carolina’s bench showing signs of development. Freshman wing Agot Makeer was tabbed to start in Latson’s absence and averaged 7.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game during the three game stretch. Players like Maddy McDaniel and Adhel Tac have had strong performances off the bench in the start of SEC play as well.
Bench production against Texas, and beyond for that matter, will be crucial for South Carolina. South Carolina totaled just two bench points against the Longhorns in November.
The return of Latson to the lineup, plus a seemingly improved bench unit (that now includes French mid-year signee Alicia Tournebize, who is awaiting her debut) gives South Carolina plenty of reason to be confident heading into its rematch with Texas.
“It starts on a defensive end,” Latson said. “We just got to clean up the mistakes that we did when we first played them…just watching film, and being connected, and having that chemistry on the court is going to be crucial.”
How to watch South Carolina vs Texas
- Who: No. 2 South Carolina vs No. 4 Texas
- When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15
- Where: Colonial Life Arena
- TV: ESPN2
This story was originally published January 12, 2026 at 3:52 PM.
