No. 3 South Carolina earns road win against Arkansas 93-58

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Joyce Edwards scored 22 points and led four South Carolina players in double figures as the No. 3 Gamecocks beat Arkansas 93-58 on Thursday night.

Edwards, who entered third in the Southeastern Conference in scoring, finished one point above her season average. She played just 25 minutes as South Carolina coach Dawn Staley began going to her bench midway through the third quarter.

The Gamecocks (16-1, 3-0 SEC) raced to a 17-point lead in the first quarter and maintained that advantage until the break.

Arkansas (11-7, 0-3) stuck around by making three 3-pointers and grabbing seven offensive rebounds against a Gamecocks team that averaged a plus-15 rebounding margin entering the game.

South Carolina went on a 15-2 run over five minutes near the end of the third period, extending its lead to 33 points. Arkansas committed as many turnovers – five – as it made field goals in the quarter, as the Gamecocks ultimately scored 30 points off Arkansas’ 23 giveaways.

Tessa Johnson scored 19 points for South Carolina, while Raven Johnson and Madina Okot added 14 apiece.

Jada Bates, who averaged the fewest points (2.1) on Arkansas’ roster, scored a career-high 16 points to lead the Razorbacks.

South Carolina has lost just one SEC game since Dec. 30, 2021. The Razorbacks have now lost four straight.

Gamecock Notables

• The 93-58 victory over Arkansas marked the 11th straight over the Razorbacks, and the 22nd during the Dawn Staley era.
• All nine available Gamecocks got on the board, with four of five starters finishing in double-figures.
• Joyce Edwards stuffed the box score, scoring 22 points while grabbing seven boards, handing out two assists, in addition to a block and a steal along the way all in 21 minutes on the floor.
• Tessa Johnson had a strong outing, putting up 19 points for her fifth game in the last six of 10 points or more, dropping nine of them in the first quarter alone.
• Madina Okot tallied her fifth double-double in the last six games, scoring 15 points on top of 10 rebounds, all while swatting a season-high tying four blocks.
• Raven Johnson had her fourth consecutive game with 10+ points, scoring five of her 14 in just 30 seconds in the fourth quarter to give the Gamecocks a 40-point lead.
• Agot Makeer added nine points in her third start this season, grabbing a career- and team-high three steals.
• Maddy McDaniel had four points, handing out a team- and career-high tying six assists to lead the way for the second time this season.