Sweet 16th: South Carolina sacks Southern Cal in dominant March Madness win
South Carolina punched its ticket to Sacramento on Monday night.
Dawn Staley and the No. 1 Gamecocks dominated No. 9 seed Southern California 101-61 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in front of 10,879 fans at Colonial Life Arena.
With the win, South Carolina advances to play No. 4 seed Oklahoma in the Sweet 16 in Sacramento on Saturday. This is the 16th time in program history the Gamecocks have advanced to the Sweet 16 in March Madness.
The upcoming game will be a rematch of South Carolina’s lone Southeastern Conference loss of the year. Oklahoma beat South Carolina 94-82 in overtime in January.
“I think we’re starting to connect,” Staley said. “I do think the excitement of playing in the NCAA tournament has lifted them to play connected basketball, to know that the stakes are high at this point. It takes a win to advance. I think that it’s bringing out the ultra competitiveness in them.
“We know we also have a really good team ahead of us in Oklahoma, someone that beat us this year, and that we are going to be challenged. So if we are so blessed enough to make it to the Elite Eight, we know we beat an incredible, hungry basketball team.”
Early separation makes the difference
South Carolina wasted no time to get rolling on Monday night and opened the game on a 13-0 run. The Gamecocks limited Southern Cal, a team that averages 70 points per game, to just eight points in the first quarter and took a 26-8 lead into the second quarter.
A big difference early was the work on the glass. South Carolina out-rebounded the Trojans 17-2 in the first quarter and parlayed that into 13 early second-chance points.
In the second quarter, Southern Cal appeared to be finding some momentum and trimmed the Gamecocks lead to 14 points. Whatever semblance of rhythm the Trojans found was quickly vanquished as South Carolina ended the second quarter on a 16-0 run.
That run in the final 3:46 allowed the Gamecocks to take a 51-21 lead into halftime.
South Carolina built up to as large as a 46-point in the game before eventually winning by 40 points.
Raven Johnson hits historic mark
South Carolina’s veteran point guard Raven Johnson eclipsed the 1,000 career mark in the second quarter. In poetic fashion, the achievement came in Johnson’s final game in Colonial Life Arena.
The SEC Defensive Player of the Year scored her 1,000th career point after getting a steal on one end of the court and a fast break layup on the other.
Johnson finished the game with seven points, giving her exactly 1,000 points in her career. She’s the 41st player in South Carolina women’s basketball to achieve the feat. Joyce Edwards also crossed the 1,000 point mark this season.
“I’m not really thinking of that,” Johnson said. “I’m worried about winning a national championship. That’s the main goal, so, yeah, whatever comes with it, comes with it.”
Johnson checked out of the game with 7:11 in the fourth quarter to a standing ovation from the crowd and her teammates.
Game MVP: Joyce Edwards
The sophomore star, once again, played a pivotal role in South Carolina’s offensive production.
Edwards finished with 23 points, marking the 21st game this season where she’s scored at least 20 points. She scored 14 of those points in the first half. Edwards led all scorers in the game.
The forward also added 10 rebounds in the game.
Madina Okot and Agot Makeer’s play also deserves some recognition. Okot finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds, her 22nd double-double of the season. Makeer provided an efficient boost on both sides of the ball off the bench.
South Carolina WBB’s Sweet 16 matchup
- Who: No. 1 seed South Carolina vs No. 4 seed Oklahoma
- When: Saturday, March 28 at 5 p.m.
- Where: Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California
- TV: ESPN
This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 10:04 PM.