Edwards, Okot lead No. 3 South Carolina to share of SEC title

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Joyce Edwards scored 21 points, Madina Okot had 17 and No. 3 South Carolina clinched a share of the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship with an 85-48 victory over No. 17 Mississippi on Sunday.

The Gamecocks (27-2, 13-1 SEC) can earn their fifth straight crown outright by beating either Missouri or Kentucky in the season’s final week. The victory, their 21st straight over the Rebels (21-8, 8-6), guarantees South Carolina the top seed in next month’s SEC Tournament in Greenville.

The Gamecocks hadn’t lost to Ole Miss since February 2009 and, with ESPN GameDay at the arena and four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson on hand, made sure they handled the Rebels.

Ole Miss was hoping to bounce back after a disheartening home loss to LSU last time out where it held a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, yet couldn’t stop the Tigers down the stretch in a 78-70 loss.

And the Rebels hung tough early, trailing just 24-20 after Christeen Iwuala’s basket early in the second quarter.

That’s when the Gamecocks closed the period on a 17-5 surge featuring a pair of 3-pointers by Okot, the 6-foot-6 transfer from Mississippi State.

Okot added 10 rebounds for her 18th double-double this season. She had four of her team’s 11 blocks and was also 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.

Ole Miss struggled to make shots against South Carolina’s defense. Cotie McMahon, third in SEC scoring coming in at 20.7 points a game, was held to two points on 0-of-9 shooting.

Iwuala led the Rebels with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Gamecock Notables

• The South Carolina defense was hot, holding Ole Miss to just 26.5 percent shooting from the floor, their lowest of the season. The Gamecocks also held the Rebels’ leading scorer (Cotie McMahon, 20.7 ppg) to just two made free throws.
• The Gamecocks were perfect at the charity stripe, making all 13 free throw attempts to shoot 100.0% for the first time this season.
• All 10 Gamecocks who hit the floor scored at least a bucket, marking the 11th time this season each player has scored in a game.
• South Carolina capitalized on the fast break, outscoring Ole Miss 30-4, while also taking charge of the paint, finishing with 44 points to the Rebels’ 24.
• Joyce Edwards netted her 17th 20-point game this season, the third-most such games in a single season by a Gamecock over the last 25 seasons (2017-18 A’ja Wilson: 21 | 2002-03 Jocelyn Penn: 19).
• Madina Okot grabbed her sixth double-double over a ranked opponent this season (18th overall), tying for the most in DI. Her 17 points were highlighted by three made 3s, the most in a game in her career.
• Ta’Niya Latson finished with 13 points for her 19th game this season with 10+, also handing out three assists, grabbing three steals, and swatting her first SEC career block along the way.
• Maryam Dauda had a perfect shooting night, going 4-for-4 at the free throw line and 2-for-2 from the floor, in addition to five boards and a season-high tying three blocks.