South Carolina’s women’s basketball continues to roll over ranked opponents, beating No. 5 LSU 66-56 last week and No. 18 Tennessee 70-63 this week. 

The team’s past five games all came against a ranked foe. The Gamecocks easily took care of each opponent, winning four of five games by double figures. 

“Losing to UCLA has helped us just kind of refocus and get back to how we need to play to be successful in this league,” head coach Dawn Staley said after the LSU game. “ What our team needs to do to win for us is a collective effort. It's totally collective from a post standpoint, and then the guards have to play a certain way. And fortunately for us, we've been able to just mesh the two of them and create something pretty good because they're totally connected.”

The game against LSU had a lot at stake. The Gamecocks picked up their 17th straight win over LSU, its 69th straight home win, a streak dating back to 2021, and took sole possession of the top spot in the SEC. 

South Carolina extended its SEC regular season winning streak to 55 games in the win over Tennessee. 

The Gamecocks continue to win games by playing dominant defense and relying on a balanced offensive attack. The team held both the Tigers and the Volunteers to their lowest-scoring outings of the season. 

Against LSU, the Gamecocks forced 17 turnovers and recorded 13 steals and a season-high 11 blocks. 

“I think we’re pretty locked in,” Staley said. “The blocked shots were impressive. Just our grit was great. You need to have all those things to beat a team like LSU.”

Freshman Joyce Edwards led South Carolina in scoring during both contests. She had 14 in the LSU game before scoring 18 against Tennessee. Edwards has been one of the most efficient scorers on the team this season, shooting 56% from the floor. 

“Joyce plays the right way. Joyce makes good basketball decisions, and that’s why you see her flourish,” Staley said. “She just plays within her capability. And, I’m not surprised. I’m probably more surprised at some of the decisions that some of our older players are making. She’s not one. She plays the right way. She played 29 minutes, and I would even play her five or six more.”

Sania Feagin added 12 points in the game against LSU. Every other Gamecock player who saw significant minutes scored at least five points. 

After a close first half, the Gamecocks took a double-digit lead over the Tigers in the third quarter and never looked back. 

Tennessee trailed South Carolina by more than 20 points at one point in the fourth quarter but made a bit of a comeback to make the final frame a bit more interesting. 

“Bad shots, bad decisions can be our nemesis at times,” Staley said. “Fatigue was part of it as well. Their pressure, it is a combination of things.”

The Volunteers' comeback effort came up short as the Gamecocks held on to a seven-point win. 

Five South Carolina players scored at least 10, including Edwards. MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 11, Chloe Kitts had 10, Raven Johnson had 10 and Te-Hina Paopao had 10. 

South Carolina improved to 20-1 overall and 8-0 in the SEC this season. The team’s lone loss came against the last remaining undefeated team in the country, No. 1 UCLA. 

The Gamecocks are the last remaining unbeaten team in conference play, sitting a game above LSU, Texas and Kentucky. The team has already beat LSU and Texas. The Gamecocks are scheduled to play a rematch against the Longhorns on Feb. 9 and will play Kentucky March 2. 

South Carolina will be back on the court Feb. 2 at home against Auburn. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.