South Carolina women's basketball faced a 79-51 loss to UCLA in the national championship, struggling with open shots. Despite this setback, they had the best offense in program history, averaging 85.6 points per game.
Key points
South Carolina lost 79-51 to UCLA in the national championship.
The team struggled with open shots during the game.
South Carolina averaged 85.6 points per game in the season.
Dawn Staley is the head coach of the Gamecocks.
Mentioned in this story
Dawn Staley
South Carolina GamecocksNCAA Women's Basketball ChampionshipUCLA Bruins
Where Dawn Staley, South Carolina need to improve after two straight title game losses
It's potentially misleading however that the 79-51 loss was the final display of coach Dawn Staley's 2025-26 team. The same group that shot 16.7% in the first quarter in the title game finished with the best offense in program history, averaging 85.6 points, which was fourth in nation.
The Gamecocks also averaged a program-best 46 points in the paint, 21.4 points off turnovers and 19 fast-break points per game.
South Carolina is also the only SEC women's basketball team to not lose a player to the transfer portal this year.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts with Joyce Edwards #8 in the game against the TCU Horned Frogs during the fourth quarter in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 30, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Q&A
What were South Carolina's shooting statistics in the national championship game against UCLA?
South Carolina shot only 16.7% in the first quarter and struggled to score throughout the game.
How did South Carolina's offense perform during the 2025-26 season?
They averaged 85.6 points per game, marking the best offense in the program's history.
Who is the head coach of the South Carolina women's basketball team?
Dawn Staley is the head coach of the South Carolina women's basketball team.
What factors contributed to South Carolina's loss in the national championship game?
The team's inability to convert open shots and poor shooting performance were significant factors in their loss.
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TAMPA, FLORIDA - APRIL 04: Chloe Kitts #21 of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates after beating the Texas Longhorns 74-57 in the Final Four game of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Amalie Arena on April 04, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Apr 3, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Tessa Johnson (5) celebrates after defeating the UConn Huskies during a semifinal of the Final Four of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - DECEMBER 08: Ashlyn Watkins #2 of the South Carolina Gamecocks drives against Aaliyah Roberson #23 of the TCU Horned Frogs during the second half in the USLBM Coast to Coast Challenge Hoopfest Women’s Basketball Classic at Dickies Arena on December 08, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
South Carolina Gamecocks guard Agot Makeer (44) celebrates their 62-48 win over the Connecticut Huskies in their NCAA Women's Final Four semifinal game at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 3, 2026.
Mar 30, 2026; Sacramento, CA, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Maddy McDaniel (1) pushes the ball up the court during the first quarter of the game against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs in an Elite Eight game in the Sacramento Regional 4 of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Alicia Tournebize #31 of the South Carolina Gamecocks brings the ball up the court against the TCU Horned Frogs during the first quarter in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 30, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thien-An Truong/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 25: Adhel Tac #15 of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts in the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores during their game at Colonial Life Arena on January 25, 2026 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
Mar 21, 2026; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Ayla McDowell (24) drives against the Southern Jaguars in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images
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Dawn Staley's South Carolina women's basketball 2026-27 roster with portal additions
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts with Joyce Edwards #8 in the game against the TCU Horned Frogs during the fourth quarter in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 30, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
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Dawn Staley's South Carolina women's basketball 2026-27 roster with portal additions
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts with Joyce Edwards #8 in the game against the TCU Horned Frogs during the fourth quarter in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 30, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
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Dawn Staley's South Carolina women's basketball 2026-27 roster with portal additions
TAMPA, FLORIDA - APRIL 04: Chloe Kitts #21 of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates after beating the Texas Longhorns 74-57 in the Final Four game of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Amalie Arena on April 04, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
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Dawn Staley's South Carolina women's basketball 2026-27 roster with portal additions
Apr 3, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Tessa Johnson (5) celebrates after defeating the UConn Huskies during a semifinal of the Final Four of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Dawn Staley's South Carolina women's basketball 2026-27 roster with portal additions
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - DECEMBER 08: Ashlyn Watkins #2 of the South Carolina Gamecocks drives against Aaliyah Roberson #23 of the TCU Horned Frogs during the second half in the USLBM Coast to Coast Challenge Hoopfest Women’s Basketball Classic at Dickies Arena on December 08, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
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Dawn Staley's South Carolina women's basketball 2026-27 roster with portal additions
South Carolina Gamecocks guard Agot Makeer (44) celebrates their 62-48 win over the Connecticut Huskies in their NCAA Women's Final Four semifinal game at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 3, 2026.
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Dawn Staley's South Carolina women's basketball 2026-27 roster with portal additions
Mar 30, 2026; Sacramento, CA, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Maddy McDaniel (1) pushes the ball up the court during the first quarter of the game against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs in an Elite Eight game in the Sacramento Regional 4 of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
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Dawn Staley's South Carolina women's basketball 2026-27 roster with portal additions
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Alicia Tournebize #31 of the South Carolina Gamecocks brings the ball up the court against the TCU Horned Frogs during the first quarter in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 30, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thien-An Truong/Getty Images)
8 / 9
Dawn Staley's South Carolina women's basketball 2026-27 roster with portal additions
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 25: Adhel Tac #15 of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts in the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores during their game at Colonial Life Arena on January 25, 2026 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
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Dawn Staley's South Carolina women's basketball 2026-27 roster with portal additions
Mar 21, 2026; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Ayla McDowell (24) drives against the Southern Jaguars in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images
That roster retention is meaningful coming off what was statistically an impressive season.
They finished fourth in the nation in field goal percentage (50%), sixth in FG% defense (34.8%), third in winning percentage (90%) and fourth in scoring margin (27.8).
There's no total revamp needed but rather some big picture things that should carry over, in addition to slight fixes or improvements when trying to go from two national championship losses in a row to a win.
Joyce Edwards fuels South Carolina offense but 2 key guards are gone
There were many elements that played into how productive South Carolina's offense was like strong ball movement and all five starters nearly averaging double-digits. There also was Joyce Edwards, who made a leap from her freshman to her sophomore season.
She went from 12.7 points per game to 19.2, setting a program single-season scoring record with 768 points.
She helped South Carolina shoot 54.2% on two-pointers (10th in the nation) but she had guard talent around her to help when she or 6-6 center Madina Okot were swarmed around the rim.
Midway through the season, particularly after the Oklahoma loss on Jan. 22, it felt like Edwards was more comfortable kicking it out to guards like Ta'Niya Latson, Raven Johnson and Tessa Johnson instead of trying to force it inside to draw a foul.
The scouts Edwards faces won't get any easier. So with Latson and Raven Johnson now in the WNBA, a few things need to happen to carry over that offensive success.
Point guard Maddy McDaniel will be even stronger if she develops as a mid-range threat, instead of attacking all the way each time.
Tessa Johnson has to be a bit more consistent as a senior, as she's had streaks of cold offense the past two seasons. She's the first to admit she has to impact the game in other ways when her 3-point shot isn't falling. So if she's continuously driving or kicking it out, she either scores or opens up more chances for her teammates but she can't go invisible.
Staley also needs that same offensive attack she had with Latson in Texas transfer Jordan Lee. The 6-foot guard knows how to create her own shot in the SEC systems so her transition might be smoother than Latson's was at first.
If Lee starts, that means Agot Makeer is likely coming off the bench. She doesn't force shots, she attacks downhill while still posing a threat from the 3-point line, and she might have a similar jump from her freshman to sophomore year like Edwards did.
Opposing coaches often talked about having to pick their battles with defending South Carolina given how balanced its attack was. The obvious difference from 2024-25 to 2025-26 was the Gamecocks didn't struggle to score except for rare occasions, and roster wise, it has the pieces for that to happen again.
Okot averaged an SEC-best 10.6 rebounds in her lone season with South Carolina. Behind her was Edwards at 6.8.
In the title game, UCLA destroyed South Carolina on the boards (49-37) and a lot of that was because Okot lost the battle against 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts. Opponents averaged 12.4 offensive rebounds per game against the Gamecocks and in all four losses, they lost the rebounding battle by an average of 10.7.
Now South Carolina gains back two great rebounders in Ashlyn Watkins and Chloe Kitts who both missed the season, but it can't be just those two. In the Final Four win over UConn, Latson led the team in rebounds with 11 because Okot and Edwards had hard one-on-one matchups to deal.
South Carolina can't struggle again with bench scoring, especially posts
South Carolina was 145th in the nation in bench scoring at 18.5 points, one season after it was first.
Staley had to rely on her starters more than past years for scoring and her posts averaged a combined 3.4 points off the bench.
It's likely freshman Jerzy Robinson and Makeer bring some points in at guard. Alicia Tournebize and the two incoming freshman forwards can't allow lapses in scoring when Staley takes out Kitts or Edwards.
A lot rides on what jump 6-foot-5 Adhel Tac makes. She missed the last 16 games of the season due to injury and also missed games with injuries the season before. She's one of the most vocal leaders on the team.
South Carolina missed layups in losses
In three of their four losses, the Gamecocks missed at least 12 layups. They left between 24 and 32 points on the board by missing easy, often wide-open shots.
There was a common thread between missing layups and losing the rebounding battle. South Carolina's effort was outmatched and focus was seemingly rattled.
An uptick in execution and mental maturity is required to avoid those game-changing misses around the rim.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
