South Carolina women's basketball: Gamecocks score a record 121 points in rout

South Carolina set a Staley-era record for points in a game and routed Queens 121-49 on Sunday.

On Dawn Staley’s list of things she wanted the Gamecocks to accomplish on Sunday, winning the game might not have even made the cut.

Queens is in just its fourth season competing in Division I. The Royals came in with a 3-2 record, but it included a six-point loss to Winthrop, the same team South Carolina beat by 50. They weren’t expected to offer much resistance, and they lived up to expectations.

The game was tied at 5 after a pair of free throws by Jermany Mapp at the 7:12 mark of the first quarter. Then South Carolina scored the next 28 points. There was also an 18-0 run in the third quarter and a 21-0 run in the fourth quarter. 

“We can score. I like the fact that we can score and we can score in a lot of different ways,” Staley said. “I like some of the things that we’re doing defensively, just having multiple efforts and getting loose balls and 50-50 balls and being a lot more aggressive.”

Adhel Tac, who had a career game, made a hook shot in the paint to tie the previous Staley-Era record with 119 points. After a jumper from Queens snapped South Carolina’s run, Maryam Dauda scored to set the scoring record.

Tac finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds, both career highs. She was 3-3 from the floor and 5-8 from the free throw line. 

“I feel really comfortable on the court, and I give all the credit to my teammates and my coaches. They pour so much into me,” Tac said. “Having the double-double is great, but I take pride in being able to do things that don’t show up in the stat sheet.”

Joyce Edwards scored 25 points, her third game this season with at least 20 points. She did it in just 25 minutes, going 9-11 from the floor with four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks.

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Ta’Niya Laston scored 24 points for the second game in a row and dished out four assists. She shot 9-11 from the floor, and is shooting 16-21 (77.3%) over the last two games.

Madina Okot added her fourth double-double of the season, chipping in 14 points and 12 rebounds, with three blocks and two steals. Okot missed her first three-point attempt of the season, but made up for it a few plays later when she got a steal on the other end and dribbled all the way to the basket for a layup. 

Tessa Johnson and Raven Johnson also hit double figures, scoring 13 and 12 points. Tessa was 3-5 from three and dished out five assists. Raven was 2-2 from three with seven assists. 

South Carolina shot 66% and held Queens to 23%. The Gamecocks had 26 assists on 43 made baskets, tying both season-highs, and scored 56 fast break points.

“Believe it or not, our game plan was to get four people back,” Queens coach Jen Brown said.

“I don’t think we have a choice in letting them (run). That’s the way they are most comfortable playing,” Staley said. “We just allow them to flow and take the identity to what they do best.”

For the first time since the season-opener against Grand Canyon, South Carolina had 10 players available. Backup point guard Maddy McDaniel had missed the past four games due to injury and suspension, but returned to action on Sunday.

McDaniel played 12 minutes and had two points and three assists. Dauda had nine points, Ayla McDowell had seven, and Agot Makeer had four points. South Carolina’s 33 bench points were its second-highest output of the season.

Notes:

Latson shot 5-5 in the first half on Sunday and was 7-7 in the first half against Winthrop. She has not missed a first-half shot attempt since the Southern Cal game. …The program record for points in a game is 137, set in 1979 against Wheeling. … South Carolina scored 119 against Charleston in 2020,  the previous record. … Combined with the 114-point game against Bowling Green, two of the three highest-scoring games of the Staley era have come this season. … The 72-point margin of victory is the third-highest of the Staley era. … South Carolina was plus-10 in turnovers, plus-10 in points off turnovers, plus-26 rebounding, and plus-54 in points in the paint. … Brenae Jones-Grant led Queens with 10 points. … Queens had two players foul out. Imani Morris fouled out in just seven minutes. Tamar Kopilevich fouled out in 11 minutes. … Dawn Staley’s outfit: Staley wore a gray Gucci hoodie. … Announced attendance was 15,222. … South Carolina’s next game is against Duke in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

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