No. 2 South Carolina delivered a response to the lone blemish on its record on Thursday night, holding off No. 4 Texas 68-65 to hold the top spot in the SEC.
The Gamecocks (18-1, 5-0 SEC) avenged a 66-64 loss to Texas (18-2, 3-2 SEC) on Nov. 27 in The Player's Era Tournament, when Longhorns guard Rori Harmon’s last-second jumper spoiled their first meeting. This time, South Carolina controlled the final minutes behind a poised defense to snap Texas’ brief resurgence after the Longhorns’ first loss of the season last weekend.
Texas got the best of the Gamecocks early even with 14 first half turnovers, including five in its last five possessions, but kept it an even ball game going into the break at 32-all. Tessa Johnson’s 3-pointer early in the third quarter sparked a 10-2 run, but the Longhorns carried a 49-48 lead into the fourth after grinding possessions on both ends.
Buckets on buckets on buckets 🪣 x x x
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB)
The final quarter featured nine lead changes. Forward Joyce Edwards gave South Carolina the edge for good with a three-point play at the 4:12 mark, then center Madina Okot knocked down a jumper to extend the lead to four with 3:32 remaining. Guard Raven Johnson added a crucial layup in the final 90 seconds as the Gamecocks repeatedly answered Texas' late pushes.
Edwards finished with a team-high 14 points, backed by four other players finishing in double digits for South Carolina. Johnson and Okot each delivered key buckets down the stretch, and the Gamecocks forced multiple Texas turnovers in the final two minutes as both teams struggled to keep the ball.
Texas cut the margin to three twice in the closing seconds, but couldn't get a clean look to tie. The win kept South Carolina unbeaten in SEC play, while the Longhorns have now dropped back-to-back ranked conference matchups.
"We're starting to play together, learn each other, and staying disciplined." - on the Gamecocks performance tonight versus Texas x
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB)
