Source: On3
In the storied history of South Carolina women’s basketball’s championship era, certain plays become eternal. They’re the moments that define careers, crystallize seasons, and get replayed in highlight reels for generations.
Cardoso’s three. Zia Cooke’s steal. A’ja’s putback. Olivia Gaines’ jumper. Raven Johnson’s steal and layup. Brea Beal’s lockdown defense that had her laughing at Kateri Poole’s futile attempts. Tif’s shimmy. “My gosh, that’s pretty!”
Now, if South Carolina’s season ends the way the Gamecocks hope, Madina Okot’s three-pointer against Texas on January 16, 2026, could earn its place among those iconic moments.
The Context: A Heavyweight Battle
The scene was pure drama. At the fourth-quarter media timeout, the game was deadlocked at 55. Madison Booker had just scored to give Texas a brief lead before Joyce Edwards converted a free throw after being fouled on a putback, putting South Carolina up 58-57.
Neither team had established dominance—South Carolina hadn’t led by more than three points all game, and neither squad had enjoyed a multi-possession advantage since 1:19 remained in the first half. This was, as Texas coach Vic Schaefer would later describe it, “a heavyweight title fight.”
The Play That Changed Everything
South Carolina worked to get the ball to Edwards in the post, but Texas anticipated the move. Defenders cheated toward Edwards before she could even touch the ball. Point guard Raven Johnson, without the proper angle, made the smart play—she swung it to Okot.
Okot was already open. But instead of closing out, Texas defender Kyla Oldacre made a critical decision: she retreated further to double-team Edwards.
Okot caught the ball, paused for a heartbeat, and let it fly.
Nothing but net. Four-point lead. Pandemonium.
On the ESPN2 broadcast, Rebecca Lobo captured the tension: “That was incredible. Without question, this entire crowd was like, no!”
Whether Colonial Life Arena’s collective gasp was hope or fear depends on who you ask—and perhaps some revisionist history. While Lobo claimed nobody wanted Okot to shoot, the broadcast showed several fans raising their arms in anticipation before the ball even reached the rim.
The Analysis: Risk vs. Reward
Oldacre’s decision to double Edwards made tactical sense—the forward is undeniably more dangerous on the low block. But leaving Okot completely uncontested was a miscalculation.
Entering the game, Okot was 2-6 from three-point range this season. She wasn’t Kamilla Cardoso attempting her first three in three years; Okot had established herself as a capable shooter from distance.
“I’ve been practicing for it in practices,” Okot said postgame. “I was like, I’m wide open, let me try it, and it went in.”
Her teammates believed immediately. As soon as the ball left Okot’s hands, Adhel Tac and Maddy McDaniel jumped off the bench, with Tac already signaling a make before it dropped.
The basket gave South Carolina a crucial two-possession cushion. Johnson added tough buckets off broken plays to seal the victory, but Okot’s three was the turning point.
“It’s a one-possession game, and probably the play of the game is Okot’s three,” Schaefer acknowledged. “Other than that, it was just a heavyweight title fight.”
Staley’s Perspective: Building Confidence Through Adversity
Dawn Staley barely reacted when the shot went up, arms crossed, poker-faced. Either she expected it to go in, or she has mastered the art of concealing emotion.
“Our bigs are very capable of making threes, and we’re comfortable with them taking the threes because we work them,” Staley explained. “She couldn’t have hit it at a more important time, for her and for us, because she got to take something from this game that she’s got to feel good about.”
Staley’s comments revealed something deeper—Okot has been navigating challenges this season, particularly in SEC play.
“She’s working through some things, and sometimes when players are working through some things, they just got to get to the other side,” Staley continued. “The more you wallow in it, the worse it gets, the more you just think about just getting through. It may be ugly, it may make you feel bad, but they’re all just growing pains. She hasn’t been in this situation. This is unfamiliar territory for her regarding big stakes, big game, everybody’s watching, so it takes some time to get used to it.”
The Numbers Tell a Complex Story
Okot’s overall season statistics are impressive: 14.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 1.4 steals while shooting 59.2%. She’s tracking to join Alaina Coates, A’ja Wilson, and Aliyah Boston as the only Gamecocks to average a double-double under Staley—elite company.
However, SEC competition has presented growing pains. Through five conference games, Okot has committed 18 turnovers—most on the team—and her shooting percentage has dipped to 50.0%.
Accountability and Growth
Raven Johnson has taken it upon herself to push Okot through these challenges.
“We’re roommates. I be getting on her about little things,” Johnson revealed. “Pregame, we were eating, and I was telling Madina about a play she messed last game. I was on her butt, and she said ‘Are you going to keep saying that?’ I said, yeah I’m going to keep saying that. It’s little things like that. I’m trying to hold her accountable.”
Johnson recognizes Okot’s self-imposed pressure: “She’s very hard on herself. She wants to be great. She wants to be one of the best post players, another post player to come out of here that’s really good. I try to hold her accountable and be a really good point guard to her.”
If being a good point guard means setting up your teammate for the biggest shot of her life, Johnson delivered. And if that shot earns Okot immortality in Gamecock lore, the moment will have served both player and program perfectly.
In South Carolina’s championship pursuit, Madina Okot’s three against Texas might be remembered as the shot that announced her arrival on the biggest stage—and the moment a season truly shifted into championship gear.
