Edwards’ 24 Points Paces Gamecocks Past Falcons

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Joyce Edwards scored 24 points and Mississippi State transfer Medina Okot added a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds as No. 2 South Carolina rolled past Bowling Green 114-47 on Friday night.

The Gamecocks (2-0) followed up a 40-point victory in their opener against Grand Canyon with another dominant game. They led 55-19 by halftime and kept pouring it on. They finished with seven players in double figures.

Bowling Green got a scoreboard snapshot moment when Johnea Donahue made the game’s opening basket to put the Falcons up 2-0. Things quickly turned as the Gamecocks scored the next 15 points.

South Carolina led 27-7 after the first quarter and kept pushing the pace as the Falcons could not figure out the Gamecocks’ smothering defense.

South Carolina held Bowling Green to 6-of-39 shooting (15.4 %). It had a 34-15 edge on rebounding and five blocks to none for the Falcons.

Edwards made 11 of 12 shots and had three of South Carolina’s nine blocked shots. Raven Johnson had 11 points and 11 assists.

It was the second straight game South Carolina coach Dawn Staley welcomed back one of her championship assistants, now head coach. Winston Gandy, part of the 2024 national champs, is in his first year at Grand Canyon, which lost here 94-54 in Monday’s opener.

Bowling Green coach Fred Chmiel was on Staley’s staff from 2015-16 through 2022-23 and was essential to NCAA Tournament titles in 2017 and 2022.

Chmeil hosted Staley’s team in December 2023 and lost 83-62.

Joniyah Bland-Fitzpatrick led Bowling Green with 10 points.

GAMECOCK NOTABLES

• South Carolina eclipsed the 100-point mark for the 24th time in the Dawn Staley era. The team’s 114 points were tied for the sixth-most scored in a game and tied for the second-most under Staley.
• The Gamecocks shot 81.8 percent (9-for-11) from the floor in the fourth quarter, tying for the No. 4 spot in program history for field goal percentage in a quarter (prev. 81.8% at Kentucky, 1/21/18).
• Seven Gamecocks finished in double-digit scoring, marking the most since seven hit the mark against Purdue (11/30/24).
• The Gamecocks out-rebounded Bowling Green 53-25 and out-scored the Falcons 66-18 in the paint.
• South Carolina’s defense was strong, holding the Falcons to just 24.0 percent (18-for-74) from the floor.
• Joyce Edwards led the team with 24 points, marking her sixth career game with 20+ points. Six of her points came in the first five minutes of the game.
• Madina Okot netted her first double-double as a Gamecock and 13th of her career, finishing with 13 points and 11 boards while handing out a team-high four blocks.
• Raven Johnson recorded the second double-double of her career, grabbing 11 points while dishing out a team-high 11 assists. Her now 428 career assists mark the eighth-most in program history, surpassing Destanni Henderson and Sherri David (423).
• Agot Makeer led the team coming off the bench with 12 points, scoring nine of them in just as many minutes in the opening quarter while adding a block and a steal.