Joyce Edwards scored 21 points, leading South Carolina to a dominant 93-75 victory over Oklahoma and securing a spot in the SEC Tournament championship game.
Oklahoma had first-team All-SEC post Raegan Beers, but South Carolina’s depth and fresher legs made the difference. All three of the Gamecocks’ primary forwards scored in double figures, while even Maryam Dauda, a seldom-used reserve, contributed off the bench.
Joyce Edwards led all scorers with 21 points, while Sania Feagin contributed 14 points, and Chloe Kitts added 10 points along with four assists.
“We’re resilient,” Edwards said. “The good thing about South Carolina, you have so many players that can score, whether it’s midrange, layups, threes. We’re not depending on one thing, and it showed today.”
Maryam Dauda, who saw limited action with just three minutes on Friday, made the most of her 12 minutes on Saturday. She contributed five points, three steals, two rebounds, and a block, while her strong defense against Raegan Beers forced a couple of frustration fouls on the Oklahoma star.
South Carolina dominated inside, scoring 50 points in the paint. They also capitalized at the free-throw line, making 19 of 24 attempts, consistently attacking the rim and drawing fouls.
“It was a collection,” Dawn Staley said. “People dumped it off to Chloe yesterday. Joyce same thing today where she made plays. People made her life a little easier at times by getting her involved. It’s more of us individually and collectively playing our best basketball.”
South Carolina’s dominance in the paint compensated for a rough night from beyond the arc. The Gamecocks shot just 2-15 from three, failing to connect from deep until Tessa Johnson finally broke through in the fourth quarter.
Tessa Johnson finished with 11 points and five rebounds, while also delivering another strong defensive performance.
MiLaysia Fulwiley had another explosive game. She scored 19 points, had five assists, three rebounds, and two steals. Fulwiley was 1-3 from three, but she didn’t settle for jumpers. She drew five fouls and went 6-7 from the line.
“I feel like I’ve got a lot of tricks in my bag,” she said. “I have to know when and when I don’t need to do those. I feel like I got that today.”
