No. 1 Gamecocks top No. 20 Terrapins in season opener

PARIS (AP) — Joyce Edwards found her touch in the second quarter and ended up with 23 points to lead five players in double figures on Monday, and top-ranked South Carolina withstood a strong run from No. 20 Maryland to win 101-93 in the season opener for both teams in Paris.

For South Carolina, it was a cushion from an early runaway that helped it survive the Maryland comeback. The Gamecocks had 27 fast-break points in the opening 20 minutes, and 21 points off turnovers.

Maryland staged a rally in the second half, cutting a 61-33 halftime gap and a 31-point edge at one point to 89-80 with 4:30 left, forcing South Carolina coach Dawn Staley to take a timeout. That break apparently snapped the Gamecocks out of their funk — they went on a 7-0 run.

Maryland got it down to 96-90, but two free throws each by Jordan Lee and Jerzy Robinson helped hold off the Terrapins one last time.

Addi Mack fueled the Maryland comeback, hitting 31 of her game-high and career-high 35 points in the second half. She was 14 of 20 from the field, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range.

Agot Mateer added 20 points for South Carolina. Robinson and Tessa Johnson scored 15 apiece and Lee had 13.

Maryland’s attack struggled in the first half, but South Carolina mainly was responsible for that. The Terrapins went 3 for 15 in the opening 10 minutes, including a 1 for 6 start.

On the other side, South Carolina started hot and maintained the momentum. It hit its first seven shots and ended the first quarter at 9 of 15.

The Terrapins made a modest run early in the second quarter to cut into the 33-13 deficit late in the opening quarter. A stepback jumper by Mack brought Maryland to 40-27 at the 6:12 mark. A quick 6-0 run stalled Maryland’s momentum, and the Gamecocks hit seven of their last nine shots of the half to build a 61-33 advantage after Edwards hit a jumper from the left wing as the buzzer sounded.

Edwards missed her only two shots in the first quarter, then went 6-for-8 in the second quarter and finished the half with 13 points.

The game was a homecoming for two South Carolina players, Alicia Tournabize and Justine Loubens.

Tournebize, a sophomore who joined Staley’s team last season, became the first documented French woman to dunk in a game in September 2024. She had an early chance for an alley-oop dunk on a pass from Robinson, but the pass went in for a 3-pointer, building a 33-13 lead with 25.6 seconds left in the first quarter.

Loubens is a freshman from southern France. She entered the game in the second quarter and had a steal and assist on a transition basket from Edwards in that stretch.

Notables

South Carolina was lights out on both sides of the ball to open the game, shooting 100% through the first five minutes while forcing five turnovers from the Terrapins.
Seven Gamecocks got on the board with at least seven points, and four of five starters finished with 10+ points.
Joyce Edwards led the way with 23 points, finishing with a near double-double after grabbing eight boards in addition to four assists. She netted 13 of those points in eight minutes of the second quarter on 6-of-8 shooting.
Agot Maker had a career night, ending with a new high of 20 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc, all while grabbing two steals and dishing out two blocks.
Newcomer Jerzy Robinson racked up 15 points, highlighted by the first two 3s of her career as a Gamecock. Her three made free throws in the final minutes of the game sealed the win.
Tessa Johnson had 15 points, dropping two 3s in the third quarter to help South Carolina grow its lead to over 30. The senior also handed out a near career-high five assists, in addition to a steal and six boards along the way.
Jordan Lee had a successful outing in her first game as a Gamecock, netting 13 points and going a perfect 7-of-7 at the charity stripe.
Ashlyn Watkins returned in force, grabbing a team-high 10 boards while going on her own 6-0 run in the fourth quarter. Her two blocks moved her career total to 144, placing her 10th overall in the Gamecock record book.
Chloe Kitts was solid in her return from injury, tying for team-high honors with five assists to go with eight points and seven rebounds, including four offensive.