No. 3 South Carolina grabs 20th straight win over Georgia 65-43

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Madina Okot had 14 points and 10 rebounds while Joyce Edwards scored 14 as No. 3 South Carolina won its 20th straight over Georgia 65-43 on Sunday.

It was a sluggish offense performance for the Gamecocks (17-1, 4-0 Southeastern), who overcame 38% shooting — they came in second in the SEC at 52.6% from the field — and hit just two of their 17 3-point attempts.

Still, South Carolina’s trademark defense played havoc on the Lady Bulldogs (15-3, 1-3), who had averaged almost 78 points a game this season but were held to their lowest total of the season.

Ta’Niya Latson, the Florida State transfer, returned to the court after missing the past three games with an injury. She finished with nine points.

Okot had her 13th double-double this season.

Rylie Theuerkauf led Georgia with 16 points.

Georgia, off to its best start since with 2009-10 season, made three of its first four shots by pushing the pace to lead 7-3. That’s when things fell apart for the Lady Bulldogs. They committed eight turnovers over the next eight minutes as South Carolina took off on a 15-0 run to take control.

The Lady Bulldogs shot 23% (6 of 26) and committed 11 turnovers, just two shy of their game average this season.

The Gamecocks weren’t much better, at one point missing 12 straight shots in the second quarter before Raven Johnson’s basket less than two minutes before the break. Despite the struggles, South Carolina led 30-14 at halftime.

Gamecock Notables 

• The Gamecock defense was locked in, holding the Lady Bulldogs scoreless in the last eight minutes of the first quarter and as well as their leading scorer, Dani Carnegie (18.2 ppg), to just five points throughout the entire game.
• All 10 Gamecocks hit the floor, with eight getting on the board and three starters finishing in double figures.
• Madina Okot recorded her 13th double-double of the season and her third consecutive, tallying 14 points, 10 rebounds, picking up two blocks, and a steal along the way.
• Agot Makeer neared a double-double, netting eight points and tying her career high in blocks (3) and rebounds (10).
• Ta’Niya Latson put up nine points while leading the team with three assists in her return from injury.
• Raven Johnson continues her scoring run, tallying her fifth consecutive game with 10+ points, grabbing eight rebounds, and a block.
• Joyce Edwards stuffed the box score on both ends of the floor, scoring 14 points, grabbing seven rebounds, in addition to two assists, a steal, and a block.