South Carolina finally had its full roster available again, with all 10 players suited up for the first time since opening night — and the impact was immediate.
Sophomore guard Maddy McDaniel made her return in the Gamecocks’ dominant 121–49 win over Queens on Nov. 23 after sitting out four straight games because of an injury and a suspension. While Dawn Staley did not reveal details about the suspension, she explained what led to McDaniel being reinstated.
“Maddie is a great young lady,” Staley said when asked about the decision. “She is of great character but some choices you make have consequences. It was more on Maddie and how she’s communicating with me, our staff and her teammates.”
McDaniel, rejoining a No. 2 South Carolina team now at 6–0, logged 12 minutes, scoring two points and handing out three assists. Staley emphasized that the team played a major role in supporting her return.
“Her teammates are the ones that were her voice and they had a more powerful voice when it comes to that,” Staley added. “Obviously they like Maddie, they like all their teammates and want our entire team together and they voiced that.”
With McDaniel back, starting point guard Raven Johnson still posted a strong outing — 12 points in 22 minutes — and she said the entire team felt McDaniel’s absence earlier in the season.
“We were very excited when Maddy came back, she just brings another energy to our team,” Johnson said. “When we first started practice, we had a circle and she was part of that circle. When she’s gone, you could feel that presence not there.”
The Gamecocks showcased their offensive firepower in the record-setting win, the highest-scoring game of the Staley era. Joyce Edwards dropped 25 points, Ta’Niya Latson added 24, and Madina Okot logged another double-double. Reserve center Adhel Tac also secured the first double-double of her career with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
South Carolina shot an incredible 66.2%, dished out 26 assists on 43 field goals, forced 21 turnovers, and dominated the break with 56 fast-break points. They also converted a remarkable 28 of 33 layups and averaged 1.5 points per possession.
With a tough stretch looming, having all 10 players available becomes even more important. The Gamecocks will face Duke on Nov. 26 in Las Vegas, followed by either UCLA or Texas — both likely top-five opponents.
Staley made it clear how vital a complete roster will be moving forward.
“It’s imperative that we have all 10,” she said. “It was really good to get Maddie back… We’re just going to acclimate her back into the swing of things. I thought she did great but it’s needed, for our rotations, for us to practice, needed for just some of our younger players to stay in the positions that they need to be in to be effective.”
