South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley addressed the media after her team’s 65–37 rivalry win over Clemson, sharing her thoughts on the Gamecocks’ defensive dominance, team discipline, and how her young squad handled adversity.
On Maddy McDaniel’s Status
Before the game, news broke that guard Maddy McDaniel would not play. When asked about her availability, Staley didn’t offer much detail.
“Doubt it,” Staley said when asked if McDaniel would return next game.
When pressed on whether McDaniel would play again this season, she responded, “That’s on her. That’s on her. We’ll evaluate it every day.”
When reporters asked for more information about the reason behind McDaniel’s suspension, Staley simply replied,
“No.”
On South Carolina’s Defensive Lockdown
The Gamecocks’ defense was suffocating in the fourth quarter, holding Clemson without a single made field goal.
“We’ve got a good group that was disciplined,” Staley explained. “Sometimes you go an entire game and one group is more linked and connected. That group was out there — very predictable, and they just linked together.”
She also credited Clemson’s strategy for slowing the tempo.
“Clemson was basically taking the air out of the ball by fluffing it to about eight seconds left on the shot clock. Our offense forced us to play defense for a long time because we took ill-advised shots, quick shots, no reversals. And if you’re going to play that way, you’re going to have to defend for a very long time.”
On the Fourth-Quarter Turnaround
After being outscored in the third quarter, South Carolina dominated the final frame 20–2, pulling away decisively.
“The change was just a more disciplined unit on the floor that was connected on both sides of the ball,” Staley said. “We reversed the ball a lot more, got good looks, locked in defensively, and rebounded. When you do that against a team like Clemson, you get great looks from multiple players — they had to guard all five.”
On Handling Adversity and Growth
Staley acknowledged that her team faced its first real in-game adversity this season — and that growing pains are part of the process.
“As much as I can get mad at what’s happening out there, when you really look at it, we’re just a really young basketball team,” she said. “We’ve got to go through some things. Tonight, they challenged us to be more disciplined. Everything is about awareness and recognition for this team — once they recognize it, we can make adjustments and execute.”
On the Upcoming Matchup and Media Buzz
With the next game originally billed as a JuJu Watkins vs. MiLaysia Fulwiley showdown, Staley was asked whether that matchup still carried hype.
“I never gave it any thought because I knew neither team had those marquee players,” she said. “It’s a good game for us, a challenging top-10 matchup. No matter who’s playing, we’ve got to show up, execute, and win.”
On Improving Offensive Discipline
Staley also addressed her team’s shot selection, emphasizing the need for patience and smarter possessions.
“We had a 10-point quarter — that’s not disciplined enough,” she said. “We took a lot of one-pass jump shots. If you’re making them, great. But if you’re missing, you’ve got to adjust.”
She added:
“It’s not that they can’t make those shots — they’re just not connecting the dots. They’re not thinking about how it affects the next defensive possession. We just need to recognize that without making them gun-shy. Give us a chance to rebound and make it an expected shot instead of a rushed one.”
South Carolina’s commanding win moved the Gamecocks to 3–0 on the season, but Staley made it clear that despite the dominant scoreline, her young team still has lessons to learn before SEC play begins.
“It’s all about recognition, discipline, and execution,” she said. “When we lock in, we’re really hard to beat.”
