No. 3 South Carolina tops Auburn 81-51

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Joyce Edwards scored 20 points, Tessa Johnson added 13 and No. 3 South Carolina handled Auburn 81-51 on Thursday night.

Edwards, the team’s top scorer, made 9 of 14 shots to go along with five rebounds. Johnson chipped in five assists and three rebounds for the Gamecocks (21-2, 7-1 Southeastern Conference), and Maddy McDaniel made all three of her 3-pointers for nine points.

Auburn (13-9, 2-6) shot 30% from the field in its third straight home matchup with a team ranked in the AP Top 25.

The Gamecocks started hot, going on a 14-0 run that took up nearly five minutes of action in the first quarter before Ja’Mia Harris knocked down a 3-pointer for the Tigers.

South Carolina forced 15 turnovers and scored 16 points off those giveaways.

Auburn was able to hold South Carolina scoreless for more than four minutes in the second quarter but didn’t find enough offense to get back into the game, mustering only six points in the quarter.

The Gamecocks took a 38-16 lead into halftime and shot 50% from the field in the first half and found more success in the second half.

South Carolina’s size proved to be an issue for the Tigers. The Gamecocks held a 40-22 scoring advantage in the paint.

Harissoum Coulibaly, Auburn’s leading scorer, was held to 10 points on 5-of-16 shooting. She also had five turnovers. Syriah Daniels scored 11 points, and Khady Leye had nine points and seven rebounds.

Gamecock Notables

• The Gamecocks shot over 50.0 percent for the second straight game and the 14th time this season.
• South Carolina’s bench scored a season-high 36 points.
• The Gamecock defense allowed just six points in the second quarter, the fewest in a quarter by an SEC opponent this season.
• Joyce Edwards reached at least 20 points for the second time in the last four games and her team-high 12th time this season.
• Maddy McDaniel ran the offense for much of the game, tying her career highs with six assists and four steals while also scoring her SEC-career high nine on a perfect shooting night.
• Ayla McDowell played an SEC-career high 25 minutes, hitting a pair of 3-pointers and tying her career high with three steals.