Gamecocks Host Border Rival Georgia Sunday

Gameday Information
Doors Open: 1 p.m. | 12:30 p.m. for Fast Break Pass

South Carolina Gamecocks
Head Coach: Dawn Staley
Top Scorer: Joyce Edwards (21.1)
Top Rebounder: Madina Okot (11.4)

Georgia Lady Bulldogs
Head Coach: Katie Abrahamson-Henderson
Top Scorer: Dani Carnegie (18.2)
Top Rebounder: Dani Carnegie (5.9)

Gamecock Notables

• South Carolina got back to its regular efficiency Thursday night at Arkansas, hitting 51.5 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from 3-point range. On the season, the Gamecocks are second in the nation in field goal percentage (.526) and 12th in 3-point percentage (.381).

• The Gamecocks lead the nation with 27.0 percent of their points coming on the fast break (24.6 ppg). They have been held to single-digit fast break points just four times in 17 games.

• South Carolina’s offense has been a quick start this season, averaging 24.7 points per first quarter and shooting 56.7 percent in the first 10 minutes. The Gamecocks are out-scoring opponents by an average of 10.2 points in the period.

• The Johnson and Johnson duo has been hot offensively in SEC action with both moving into the SEC’s top 20 scorers in league play. Raven’s 16.0 points per game are 12th in the league, and her .586 field goal percentage is third – both surpassing her 10.2 points per game and 52.0 percent shooting for the season. Tessa lifted her scoring average to 14.7 points per SEC game to rank 17th, and her 2.7 made 3s per game are sixth.

• With Raven Johnson calling her own number a bit more on offense in SEC action, sophomore Maddy McDaniel has surged ahead in assists, ranking sixth in the SEC with 4.3 per league game. Her 4.33 assist-to-turnover ratio in conference action ranks second, while Tessa Johnson’s 2.3 mark comes in eighth.

• National player of the year candidate Joyce Edwards continues to power the Gamecock offense, ranking 12th in the nation in scoring (21.1 ppg), including 19.3 points per SEC outing. Her SEC-best .613 field goal percentage is 11th in the nation. Her rebounding numbers have risen in SEC action as she ranks 13th in rebounds per game (7.0) and offensive rebounds per game (2.7).

• Senior Madina Okot is establishing herself as one of the best centers in the nation, ranking among the country’s top 16 in double-doubles (2nd, 12), rebounds per game (9th, 11.4), field goal percentage (12th, .612) and offensive rebounds per game (16th, 4.2). In SEC action, she has locked in on rebounding, lifting her averages to 12.0 overall and 6.0 offensive – both numbers ranking second in the SEC.

By the Numbers
4 – Raven Johnson needs four assists to tie for fifth place in program history in career assists.

5 – All five Gamecock starters rank among the SEC’s top 20 in overall scoring average and/or SEC scoring average.

8.3 – Since the end of the semester break, freshman Agot Makeer is averaging 8.3 points, including 7.7 in SEC action.

The Georgia Series
The Gamecocks are 26-33 all-time against Georgia, but have a 22-6 mark in the Dawn Staley era (beginning 2008-09), including a current 19-game win streak.

The two teams last met on Feb. 6, 2025, in Athens with the Gamecocks taking a 74-42 victory behind a first half that saw the Lady Bulldogs shoot just 19.2 percent from the field for 17 points in the opening 20 minutes. South Carolina dominated the glass 47-28.

The last time the teams met in Colonial Life Arena, then-No. 1 South Carolina won 70-56 on Feb. 18, 2024.

Home Sweet Home
The Gamecocks are 555-168 (.768) in home games (some records prior to 1976-77 did not include location of games). Current head coach Dawn Staley is 243-35 at home for a program-best .874 winning percentage.

Playing in its 24th season at Colonial Life Arena, South Carolina boasts a 306-68 (.818) record in the building, including four undefeated seasons since 2013-14. Staley’s share of that record is 240-35 (.873).

In SEC action, South Carolina is 158-89 (.640) at home with Staley posting a 114-22 (.838) mark.

Staley’s SEC
South Carolina head coach 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 217 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 .795 SEC winning percentage (217-56) 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.

Glass Work
South Carolina is sixth in the nation in rebounding margin (+14.1) and eighth in rebounding average (45.5).They have corralled 42.8 percent of their missed shots for an offensive rebounding percentage that ranks ninth.

Senior Madina Okot is ninth in the nation with 11.4 rebounds per game (2nd in SEC), and her 4.2 offensive rebounds per game are 16th (2nd in SEC).  She has been in double figures in rebounds in 13 games.

Sophomore Joyce Edwards is next in line at 6.3 rebounds per game, and four double-digit games. In SEC action, her 7.0 rebounds per game are 13th in the league as are her 2.7 offensive boards per game.

Freshman Agot Makeer leads the guards with 4.3 boards per game after her 10-rebound outing against Providence (Dec. 28).