Women's Hoops Hits the Road to Florida

Gamecock Notables

• South Carolina is playing its first SEC road game of the season today. The Gamecocks are 101-34 (.748) in SEC play on the road in the Dawn Staley era (beginning 2008-09).

• The Gamecocks continue to be a shot-blocking menace this season, blocking 15.8 percent of opponents’ 2-point attempts, which ranks ninth in the nation.

• The South Carolina defense has been disruptive on every level this season, ranking fifth in the nation in field goal percentage allowed (.320) and swiping 9.4 steals per game, which is the highest average in the Dawn Staley era.

• The Gamecocks are second in the nation with a .540 field goal percentage. All five regular starters are shooting over 50.0 percent for the season with Madina Okot (.623) and Joyce Edwards (.618) leading the SEC and ranking 10th and 12th in the nation, respectively.

• Senior point guard Raven Johnson is having a career offensive year so far, and it showed in her start to SEC action on Thursday with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting and five assists. For the season, the veteran’s career-best numbers include 9.5 points per game on 51.9 percent shooting, including 39.5 percent from 3-point range.

• National player of the year candidate Joyce Edwards is having a breakout sophomore season. The forward is 10th in the nation in scoring (21.7 ppg) and 12th in field goal percentage (.618). Defensively, her 1.5 blocks per game are seventh in the SEC and her 2.0 steals per outing are 13th. Over the last five games she has poured in 26.2 points per game and handed out 2.2 assists per contest as well.

• Senior Madina Okot is one of the most productive centers in the nation, ranking among the NCAA’s top 10 in double-doubles (2nd, 10), rebounds per game (8th, 11.1) and field goal percentage (10th, .623). She has scored in double figures in 13 of her 14 outings, including four 20-point outings.

• Freshman Agot Makeer has been thriving since the holiday break, averaging 9.5 points on 53.8 percent shooting and 7.0 rebounds in the last two games. She drew her first career start on Thursday and posted nine points on 3-of-4 shooting, including a pair of 3s, in her SEC debut.

By the Numbers
1.05 – South Carolina is second in the nation with 1.05 points per possession, per Her Hoop Stats.

26.4 – The Gamecocks are second in the nation with 26.4 fast break points per game, per CBBanalytics.com.

60.8 – South Carolina is taking 60.8 percent of its shots from the paint.

The Florida Series
The Gamecocks lead the all-time series with Florida 25-10, including a 17-4 mark in the Dawn Staley era (beginning 2008-09). South Carolina has won the last 17 meetings and is 13-8 against Florida in Gainesville.

In last season’s matchup, then-No. 4 South Carolina dominated Florida in the first quarter 36-15 en route to a 101-63 victory in Columbia. The Gamecocks shot 60.9 percent in the opening quarter, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Joyce Edwards led the offense with a then-career-high 28 points in just 19:31 minutes of action.

Road Ready
The Gamecocks are 321-263 (.550) all-time in road games (some records prior to 1976-77 did not include location of games), including a 147-48 mark (.754) under head coach Dawn Staley, giving her the best road winning percentage in program history. In SEC road games, the Gamecocks are 101-34 (.748) during Staley’s tenure.

Staley’s Standard
Dawn Staley’s nine SEC regular-season championships trail only Pat Summitt’s 16 in league history, and her seven SEC Coach of the Year awards trail Summitt’s league record by just one. Staley’s 215 SEC regular-season wins are the most among active league coaches and third all-time – behind just Summitt (Tennessee, 306) and Andy Landers (Georgia, 273). She was the second-fastest to the 200-win mark in league history with her 255 games trailing Summitt’s mark of 229. Staley’s .793 SEC winning percentage (215-56) is second only to Summitt (.874) among coaches in the league more than five seasons. She owns the SEC record for consecutive regular-season conference victories with a 57-game streak that began in the 2021-22 season and ended in 2024-25.

M.O.-mentum
After just starting the sport at 17 years old, 6-foot-6 center Madina Okot is becoming one of the most dominant centers in the sport. Last season at Mississippi State, she was the SEC’s top percentage shooter (.649) and fourth in rebounding. With her final year of eligibility, she came to Columbia with the mindset to be the next entry in the Gamecocks’ legacy of dominant post players.

The quiet Okot has drawn praise from her head coach on her strength and agility and been challenged to show her dominance every time she steps on the court. After an average season opener, Okot has been rising to that challenge, and both her production and her comfort level have been growing exponentially.

Okot is among the nation’s top 10 in three stats – double-doubles (2nd, 10), field goal percentage (10th, .623) and rebounds per game (8th, 11.1). Her 1.4 blocks per game are 10th in the SEC, and her 3.8 offensive boards per game are 26th in the country (4th in SEC).