South Carolina women's basketball: Rapid Reaction - Duke

South Carolina overcame a slow start to beat Duke 83-66 at the Players Era Championship. Here’s what stood out from the game.

– Dawn Staley substituted early and often on Wednesday. Adhel Tac, usually the last player off the bench, was the first player to sub in against Duke. Tac only played four minutes in the first half, but the point was made. 

Win or lose, South Carolina has to play two games in two days in the Players Era Championship. Not only was Staley not going to wear her players out on the first day, but she wanted them fresh for Thursday’s game. 

South Carolina only got 11 points off the bench, but they were still productive in other ways. Maryam Dauda had six rebounds, Agot Makeer had four points and four rebounds, and Maddy McDaniel continues to be a change-of-pace at point guard.

It was a stark contrast to Texas, which had one player play all 40 minutes and two others play 39 minutes, and used only seven players all game. Despite playing the late game, South Carolina should be the fresher team when they play on Thursday.

NEW! Message board for South Carolina Women’s Basketball! 🏀

– Hopefully Ta’Niya Latson and Tessa Johnson are saving all of their baskets for Thursday because… ugh. Latson shot 6-13, and Johnson went 2-6 shooting.

Despite her shooting woes, Latson did a good job of driving into the paint to force the defense to rotate and create open shots for others. She also didn’t stop running the floor and scored three important transition layups in the second half. She showed she will still play hard and score even when her shot isn’t falling. 

🏀 GamecocksW newsletter: WBB coverage delivered straight to your inbox!

– Joyce Edwards had a big game, with 22 points, six assists, and six rebounds, but she’s had big games before. This felt different because she had a killer instinct.

There was a possession in the fourth quarter when Duke had cut the lead to eight again. Edwards got the ball on the baseline, stared down her defender, and then buried a jump shot in her face. 

I try not to go overboard with A’ja Wilson comparisons because they aren’t fair to Edwards. But hitting that shot on Wilson’s home court, all I could think was that was an A’ja Wilson clutch basket.

NEW! Message board for South Carolina Women’s Basketball!