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South Carolina women's basketball: The 3-2-1 - Clutch players, burning questions, and a favorite play from last week

On3 imageby: Chris Wellbaum6 hours agoChrisWellbaum
Ta'Niya Latson
Katie Dugan, GamecockCentral.com

Last week, South Carolina had a two-game tune-up for the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas. We break down the clutch players, burning questions, and a favorite play from the week.

Three Clutch Players

Ta’Niya Latson
vs Winthrop: 25 minutes*, 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 8-11 FG
vs Queens: 27 minutes*, 24 points, 5 assists, 3 steals, 2 rebounds, 9-11 FG

Latson was inconsistent in her first two weeks as a Gamecock. Last week she was brilliant. Latson didn’t miss a shot in the first half of either game, shared the ball, and defended. Most of all, she put the ball in the basket, something she does better than almost anybody.

Madina Okot
vs Winthrop: 25 minutes*, 23 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks
vs Queens: 19 minutes*, 14 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals

After the Winthrop game, Dawn Staley said she thought Okot could be a top-five WNBA Draft pick. That line got a lot of hate on social media, but those haters need to channel Shaquille O’Neal: “I owe you an apology. I wasn’t really familiar with your game.”

The undersized competition didn’t offer much of a challenge for Okot, but she dominated the game the way she was supposed to. 

Joyce Edwards
vs Winthrop: 28 minutes*, 22 points, 5 rebounds
vs Queens: 25 minutes*, 25 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals

I wanted to recognize somebody else to give some attention to someone other than the Gamecocks’ Big Three. But you can’t ignore back-to-back 20-point games or Edwards’ continued growth into one of the best players in the nation.

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

Two Burning Questions

1. Can they win two in Las Vegas?
Playing Winthrop and Queens last week was intentional. It gave South Carolina two games to work on what they learned from the Southern Call game and prepare for what were originally two top-ten opponents next week.

We’ll find out on Wednesday and Thursday if the decision not to challenge the Gamecocks more was the right one. Duke didn’t do its part and dropped out of the top-25, but the Blue Devils are still dangerous. And then…

2. Would you rather play UCLA or Texas?
Thursday’s games are between the two winners and the two losers. South Carolina obviously wants to be in the winners’ game, but who do you want to play?

Despite being SEC foes, a game in Las Vegas between South Carolina and Texas wouldn’t count toward conference standings. But it would give both teams something to study for their conference clash in Columbia on January 15. Even though South Carolina beat Texas three out of four times last season and Dawn Staley has Vic Schaefer’s number, do you really want to play Texas again?

UCLA, with Lauren Betts, would be a tougher test for Okot and South Carolina’s rebuilt frontcourt. It would also be a revenge game for last season, when UCLA basically out-Gamecocked South Carolina in Westwood. Do you take the tougher test even if it means a higher chance of losing?

One Favorite Play

Latson skies for the steal on one end, runs the break, draws the defense, and drops it off to Joyce Edwards for a layup. Latson’s scoring ability gets most of the attention, and for good reason, but her defense and passing are underrated aspects of her game.

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