No. 2 South Carolina WBB dominates Coppin State. What we learned
No. 2 South Carolina women’s basketball wrapped up its non-conference slate with an easy win.
Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks (19-1, 5-0 SEC) cruised to a 90-48 win on the road at Coppin State on Sunday.
South Carolina put together a well-rounded effort in what was expected to be a blowout win. Coppin State entered the game with just four wins on the year and ranked No. 301 (out of 363) in the NCAA NET rankings.
The Gamecocks were led by a 26-point performance from Joyce Edwards. She was one of three South Carolina players to finish with double-digits in the scoring column.
Sunday’s game vs Coppin State was a brief break from SEC play for the Gamecocks. South Carolina will return to SEC action this week and will play three of their next four games on the road.
Why play a game at Coppin State?
High-major programs, specifically perennial title contenders, such as South Carolina don’t typically play too many games on the road against mid-major teams, much less HBCUs.
So why did the Gamecocks travel to Baltimore to play Coppin State on Sunday?
In August 2024, Staley and the Gamecocks were coming off an undefeated national championship-winning season and were struggling to finalize their schedule for the next season. Staley sent a callout to X/Twitter to find a game, and a few days later a home-and-home series with Coppin State was scheduled.
The Gamecocks beat Coppin State last season 92-60 at Colonial Life Arena.
“l inquired if a home-home series would be feasible, highlighting the benefits to our university and community,” former Coppin State head coach Jermaine Woods told ESPN. “... She promptly agreed. ... also providing guarantee money to cover our team’s expenses last season. Her professionalism and generosity are commendable.”
South Carolina helped draw a nearly sold-out crowd to Coppin State’s Physical Education Complex on Sunday, per the ESPN broadcast.
“Not every team will go and play an HBCU on their home court,” Staley said in September 2025. “And we feel like [it’s a] great game, great competition, great coaching. And if we can lift, because we play the game and get some notoriety to the HBCUs, then we’ll do that.”
All-around dominance for the Gamecocks
As expected, South Carolina dominated Coppin State.
The Gamecocks shot 51.5% as a team and were 47.4% as a team from 3-point range. Coppin State, meanwhile, was limited to below 30% from the field as a team for most of the game and finished with a 32.2% clip.
South Carolina forced Coppin State to turn the ball over 30 times. The Gamecocks logged 21 steals in the win.
Some credit is due to the Eagles. Coppin State led USC early in the game. Granted, that one-point lead lasted just 16 seconds.
“ I think coming here, [Coppin State head coach Darrell Mosley] gets to measure his team,” Staley said. “...It’s just a measuring stick. Whether or not like if we were able to play them again, would it be a 42 point game? Probably not, because they’ve learned. They’ve been in that situation, and you have to continue to familiarize yourself with playing at that high level in order for you to reach that level.”
Game MVPs: Joyce Edwards and Tessa Johnson
Sophomore forward and junior guard Tessa Johnson put together the best performances of the game for South Carolina.
Edwards finished with 26 points and five steals. It’s her 11th game this season where she’s scored more than 20 points.
Johnson finished with 17 points, four assists and two steals. She tied her career-high with five 3-pointers in the win.
Alicia Tournebize gets her first points
South Carolina’s mid-year signee Alicia Tournebize got her first points as a Gamecock on Sunday.
The 6-foot-7 French forward made her debut with South Carolina last week against Texas. She played only five minutes and didn’t record any stat other than two personal fouls.
On Sunday, Tournebize played 13 minutes against Coppin State. She finished with eight points, one rebound, one assist, one block and one steal.
Injury note
Sophomore forward Adhel Tac did not play against Coppin State on Sunday.
Tac missed the game while recovering from a nasal injury, South Carolina’s team X/Twitter account announced before the game.
The 6-foot-5 forward played in South Carolina’s previous game against Texas on Jan. 15 but was wearing a protective mask that covered part of her face and nose. Tac had one point and three rebounds in 11 minutes of action against the Longhorns.
South Carolina WBB’s next four games
- Thursday at Oklahoma, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
- Jan. 25 vs Vanderbilt, 3 p.m. (ESPN)
- Jan. 29 at Auburn, 9 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Feb. 2 at Texas A&M, 8 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPNU)
This story was originally published January 18, 2026 at 1:52 PM.
