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

On3 imageby: Chris Wellbaum12/24/24ChrisWellbaum
maddy-mcdaniel_54215030626_o-South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball vs Charleston Southern-Dec 19 2024-Credit Katie Dugan GamecockCentral

South Carolina only had one game last week, but that won’t stop us from a Yuletide 3-2-1 to recognize the clutch players, burning questions, and the nicest play.

Three Clutch Players
Joyce Edwards
Vs Charleston Southern: 21 minutes, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals
Edwards scored a new career-high for the second consecutive game. She was already playing elite defense, but now Edwards is getting more comfortable scoring, especially around the rim. 

“Joyce wants to be great,” Dawn Staley said after the game. “So I think the stats are starting to become what greatness looks like.”

Maddy McDaniel
Vs Charleston Southern: 21 minutes, 6 points, 5 assists, rebound, steal, block
McDaniel continues to demand more playing time. She led the Gamecocks in assists and made her second career three-pointer. She also had her first career block. More on that below.

Raven Johnson
Vs Charleston Southern: 26 minutes, 9 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists
Johnson made sure McDaniel didn’t steal her playing time, and they even played together for stretches. Johnson stuffed the stat sheet and played strong defense.

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Two Burning Questions
1. Did the Gamecocks get the unfocused play out of their system?
On the surface, it was understandable that South Carolina might be a little distracted for its last two games. The USF game was the first game following the exam break, and the Charleston Southern game was the last before Christmas break. But put it all together – not closing out USF after a fast start, needing three quarters to pull away from Charleston Southern – and it seems like more than just normal distractions. We’ll find out quickly because…

2. When they get back from break, will the Gamecocks be ready for the SEC gauntlet?
South Carolina resumes practice the day after Christmas and has one more tune-up game against Wofford on December 29. After that, things get real. They open SEC play at Mizzou, the site of South Carolina’s last regular season conference loss. After games against Mississippi State and Texas A&M come five consecutive games against ranked opponents (three currently in the top ten). There’s no more forgiveness for lazy play.

One Favorite Play
This was easy: when 5-9 Maddy McDaniel blocked 6-5 Saniya Jones. A player nicknamed “Mouse” isn’t supposed to be blocking shots. Nobody saw that one coming, least of all McDaniel. 

“That was probably my second one, honestly,” McDaniel said. “All I was thinking was don’t give up the layup. That’s all I was thinking. I wasn’t even thinking I was going to block it but once I got it I was like, yes!”

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