South Carolina's women's basketball team secured a 74-63 road victory over Florida despite a season-worst offensive performance marked by 21 turnovers and 34.3% shooting. Playing without key player Ta’Niya Latson, the Gamecocks relied on strong defense and rebounding to overcome the Gators' similar struggles. Raven Johnson led with 17 points in the win.
The South Carolina Gamecocks faced a challenging road test against the Florida Gators on January 4, 2026, emerging with a 74-63 victory in a game defined by turnovers and poor shooting from both sides.
Without second-leading scorer Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina struggled offensively, committing a season-high 21 turnovers and shooting a season-low 34.3% from the field, making just 24 baskets. As coach Dawn Staley noted, “Florida sped us up. They made us play faster than our skillset could handle.” The Gators were equally erratic, with 20 turnovers, 34.4% shooting, and only 22 field goals.
The first half was a back-and-forth battle. South Carolina jumped to a 21-12 lead late in the first quarter, but Florida responded with a 15-3 run to take a 27-24 advantage. The Gamecocks closed the half on a 13-4 surge, leading 37-31 at halftime. Each team had eight turnovers in the opening period.
In the third quarter, South Carolina went on a 9-0 run to build an 11-point lead, their largest of the game. They extended it twice more, though Florida clawed back each time. Florida coach Kelly Rae Finley praised her team's resilience: “I thought we did an exceptionally good job of sticking to our gameplan and executing, and fighting until the end.”
Raven Johnson was pivotal, scoring 17 points on efficient free-throw shooting (8-10) while adding six rebounds and two assists. “A lot of our shots weren’t falling, shots that we usually make,” Johnson said. “Without Ta’Niya being here, I’ve got to pick up her scoring.” Tessa Johnson contributed 15 points despite a 4-16 shooting night, including three threes.
Madina Okot and Joyce Edwards posted double-doubles, with Okot's 12 points and season-high 17 rebounds marking her 11th of the season, and Edwards adding 11 points and 10 boards for her fourth. South Carolina dominated the glass, outrebounding Florida 59-36, and went 21-31 from the free-throw line.
Defensively, Maddy McDaniel and Raven Johnson limited Florida's Liv McGill to 18 points on inefficient 7-17 shooting. Staley lauded McDaniel's career-high 33 minutes: “She played 33 minutes because we felt like we couldn’t take her off the floor.” McDaniel finished with six points, five assists, and two steals. Laila Reynolds added 12 points for the Gators.
Attendance at the O'Dome was 6,006, the second-largest post-renovation crowd. South Carolina, now preparing for Thursday's game at Arkansas, showed resilience amid injuries, including sidelined players Latson and Chloe Kitts.
