South Carolina needed a Joyce Edwards takeover to survive a scare at Texas A&M, escaping with a 71-56 victory Monday night after the Aggies threatened a major upset.
Lineup Adjustments
With Ta’Niya Latson and Agot Makeer sidelined, coach Dawn Staley inserted Adhel Tac and first-time starter Maddy McDaniel into the starting lineup. McDaniel responded admirably with seven points, three assists, and three steals across 31 minutes, while Tac struggled and managed just six minutes of action.
Fourth Quarter Heroics
What looked like a comfortable outing turned precarious when Texas A&M trimmed South Carolina’s lead to 55-51 early in the fourth quarter, capping a 7-0 run. Freshman Alicia Tournebize stopped the bleeding with a free throw, then Edwards seized control.
“It was just the game coming to me,” Edwards said matter-of-factly.
The freshman phenom delivered 14 of her game-high 28 points in the final period, personally accounting for all but two of South Carolina’s fourth-quarter scoring while outscoring the entire Aggies squad 14-9.
“In the fourth quarter, Joyce Edwards becomes Joyce Edwards and takes the game over,” Texas A&M coach Joni Taylor said. “She puts them on her back.”
Edwards dominated beyond scoring, grabbing four of her 11 rebounds in the decisive quarter while converting all four free-throw attempts. She also anchored the top of South Carolina’s late-game 1-3-1 zone defense that helped seal the victory.
Turnover Troubles
Despite the win, Staley identified a clear culprit for the Gamecocks’ struggles against an undermanned Aggies team.
“For us, just turnovers. Turnovers,” Staley emphasized. “Unaware of the shot clock situation, bad spacing. They capitalized because they scored a lot of points on us when we turned it over. Close to half of their points came from our turnovers.”
The uncharacteristic sloppiness nearly cost South Carolina against a Texas A&M squad that entered 1-7 in SEC play. The Aggies converted the Gamecocks’ miscues into critical points, keeping the contest competitive far longer than expected.
Moving Forward
While Edwards’ brilliance salvaged the road win, South Carolina’s turnover issues and inconsistent performance against inferior competition raise concerns heading into tougher matchups. The third-ranked Gamecocks will need sharper execution when they host Mississippi State on Thursday and No. 15 Tennessee on Sunday—games where Edwards may not be able to single-handedly rescue them from careless mistakes.
For now, though, South Carolina escaped College Station with their eighth SEC victory, improving to 22-2 overall thanks to their freshman star’s clutch fourth-quarter performance.
