South Carolina WBB learns first NCAA foe. Here’s what to know
The South Carolina women’s basketball team finally knows who they’ll be playing in Saturday’s first-round NCAA Tournament game.
Southern University used a 14-2 run Thursday in the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter to defeat Samford, 65-53, in a NCAA Women’s Tournament First Four matchup at Colonial Life Arena.
With the win, the Jaguars get a matchup with the top-seeded Gamecocks at 1 p.m. Saturday (ABC). USC coach Dawn Staley, her coaching staff and players were on hand to watch Thursday’s matchup.
After the game, Staley gave Southern players some Louis Vuitton gifts, according to a video posted on March Madness X account.
Here are few things to know about the Gamecocks’ opponent:
Jaguars tournament tested
Southern, a Historically Black College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, won the SWAC Tournament title after finishing tied for third in the regular season. The Jags are making their third March Madness appearance in the last four seasons and won a First Four game for the second-straight season. The Jaguars defeated UC San Diego, 68-56, in last year’s NCAA Tournament before losing to UCLA.
“It is tremendous, not just for us but for our conference,” Southern coach Carlos Funchess said. “We’ve got some really good basketball players in our conference and some good coaches. Our league is tough. ... But I am so proud of our young ladies to make it to this point. We had to overcome a lot of adversity, but I love my kids. They give 100 percent every night.”
Success against Power 4 teams
The Gamecocks will be Southern’s 10th Power Four opponent of the season. The Jaguars have a pair of wins over Power 4 squads on their resume, beating Big 12 schools Arizona (63-57) and Houston (70-62) in back-to-back games in December.
Defense is big for Southern
The Jaguars are led by their defense. Southern is the top 35 in the country in turnover margin, forcing 4.7 more a game than its opponents this season. Against Samford, Southern forced 18 turnovers and committed just 10.
Southern also is good against 3-point shooting and came into Thursday’s game allowing opponents to make 25% of their shots from behind the arc. Samford found its rhythm at times but finished 8-for-27 from long range.
The Jaguars came into the matchup forcing 11.5 steals per game and had 13 against the Bulldogs.
Balanced scoring attack
The Jaguars had three players in double figures against Samford — Jaylia Reed (16), Demya Porter (15) and Jocelyn Tate (10) — but came into the game without a single player averaging double figures.
Five players are averaging 7 points or more, led by Porter’s 9.7 a game.
Thoughts on facing the Gamecocks
When asked about facing the Gamecocks, Reed admitted she and her teammates are big fans of Dawn Staley’s program. The Jaguards are looking forward to the matchup.
“I think it will be a great experience for us,” Reed said. “We know who they are. ... We know we are going to play our best and represent who we are.”
“I am excited for the opportunity and to have a chance to play in front of some good competition and a lot of people,” Porter said.
This story was originally published March 19, 2026 at 9:19 PM.
