What Dawn Staley, USC players said after Gamecocks’ SEC win over Texas
South Carolina avenged its only loss of the season on Thursday with a 68-65 win over the Texas Longhorns.
Dawn Staley and USC players Raven Johnson and Madina Okot met with the media after the game. Here are some of the best things they said following the win at Colonial Life Arena.
Johnson’s clutch moments
Raven Johnson was big for the Gamecocks down the stretch, scoring or assisting on 12 of South Carolina’s 20 points in the fourth quarter.
“I think our defense was really solid. It came down to will and grit, and I think we did a good job at the end of executing the things that coach wanted,” Johnson said.
Playing Texas again
Thursday’s game was the second of the season and sixth over the last calendar year against the Longhorns.
“I’m pretty sure we know all their plays and they know all of ours,” Johnson said. “But it comes down to grit and will to win. They blew up a lot of our out-of-bounds plays. We had to adjust to a lot of things. I’m pretty sure we will see them in the SEC Tournament. They are really good.”
On having the will to win
Staley: “That’s what we thought it would come down to. ... When it really comes down to it, it is making plays. Joyce got some key offensive rebounds and key tie-ups. It is those plays that really are game changing, and it gives you the momentum to continue to try to win the game. I thought our crowd was great. They wouldn’t let up, and they also willed us to a win.”
Okot’s big three
Madina Okot hit one of the biggest shots of the game.
The transfer center hit a 3-pointer to give the Gamecocks a 61-57 lead in the fourth quarter.
“We worked her,” Staley said. “Our bigs are comfortable taking the 3s and because we worked them,” Staley said. “She couldn’t hit it at a more important time for her and for us. She is working through some things and when you are working through some things, you just have to get through the other side. … She hasn’t been in this situation before. It is unfamiliar territory. It is big stakes and big games. It takes some time to get used to.”
The structure of this year’s Gamecocks’ team
South Carolina had five scorers in double figures on Thursday and has more firepower and players it can trust than last year, Staley said.
“Last year’s team, we probably didn’t have five players on the floor that could actually score,” Staley said. “They could score but didn’t consistently do it. … This team took a while for our defense to connect. It is normal with so many players playing out of their position. We have a lot more people that can score coming off the bench. We haven’t played our best basketball yet, and hopefully it is coming.”
Staley T-shirts
All of Staley’s assistants were wearing T-shirts with her face on and the phrase, “My favorite coach is a woman.”
Staley talked about how the shirts came about.
“He is a vendor and starting his business. I bought some shirts from him. I didn’t want to give them out because my face is on the shirt. But they are cool shirts. We did a colab and I supported him and thought it would be great to give it our staff and whoever else wanted it. I told him if we wear these shirts, you’ve got to restock because Gamecock Nation is real.”
This story was originally published January 15, 2026 at 10:49 PM.
