Coming off back-to-back losses against top-10 opponents, Auburn women’s basketball was looking to get back on track against a juggernaut in No. 3 South Carolina.
However, Joyce Edwards and the Gamecocks had other plans as they took down the Tigers 81-51 Thursday night at Neville Arena.
“Not too many teams in the country have an opportunity to play three top-5 teams and we have,” Auburn head coach Larry Vickers said. “We have to do a better job versus those teams with our intensity, execution, finishing and coaching.”
Edwards was the driving force for South Carolina’s offense all night, leading the way with 20 points on 64.2% shooting from the field. She also added five rebounds to her statline.
Auburn struggled offensively shooting just 30% from the field as a team and 25% from behind the arc. When going up against a powerhouse like South Carolina, those kind of numbers won’t get the job done.
With the little offense that was generated, Syriah Daniels led the way with 11 points. The sophomore was on fire from three-point range shooting 50%.
“Syriah did a really good job,” Vickers said. “She’s been in a really good groove these last three games. When she got some good looks today, she knocked them down.”
In just over five minutes of action, the Gamecocks grabbed an early 16-2 lead and never took the foot of the gas pedal. Of their early barrage, Edwards accounted for six points.
The Gamecocks are led by hall of famer Dawn Staley, whose squad holds a record of 191-14 since 2020. In the first year under Vickers, growing pains for the Tigers are to be expected especially against the quality of opponents like tonight.
“They play hard, every second and every minute. That has to be an imprint of your program,” Staley said. “Coach (Vickers) is a great coach. I think he’s well ahead of the curve.”
The Tigers will hit the road next and take on Ole Miss Monday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CST.
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Rory is a sophomore majoring in journalism sports production. He started with The Plainsman in the spring of 2025.
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