No. 2 South Carolina beats No. 4 Texas 68-65

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Joyce Edwards had 14 points and eight rebounds, Tessa Johnson added 13 points and No. 2 South Carolina avenged its only loss this season by beating No. 4 Texas 68-65 on Thursday night for its 11th straight victory.

Ta’Niya Latson scored 12 points and Raven Johnson came up with some big shots down the stretch, scoring six of her 10 points in the pivotal fourth quarter for the Gamecocks (18-1, 5-0 Southeastern Conference).

Madison Booker had 24 points and Rori Harmon added 16 to lead Texas (18-2, 3-2), which finished 1 of 9 from 3-point range.

Texas handed South Carolina its only loss on Nov. 27 in the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas — considered a nonconference game — when Harmon made a 10-foot floater with a second left.

But the Gamecocks made sure not to let this one get away.

Edwards drove and drew a foul for a three-point play that gave South Carolina a 58-57 lead with 4:12 remaining. Madina Okot followed with a clutch 3 — only her third all season — to give the Gamecocks the biggest lead of the game at that point.

Johnson later wiggled free in the low post for a layup to push the lead to five with 1:07 to play.

Booker scored on a putback, but Johnson hit a short jumper with 23 seconds left to increase the lead to five again.

Alicia Tournebize of France made her South Carolina debut, receiving a huge ovation when she checked into the game in the first quarter. The 6-foot-7 Tournebize was a midseason acquisition after playing professionally for Tango Bourges Basket, a professional team in France’s top league.

Tournebize played five minutes and did not score.

Gamecock Notables

• Raven Johnson made the difference when it mattered, scoring or assisting on 12 of the Gamecocks’ 18 fourth-quarter points.
• Raven Johnson finished with 10 points while handing out a team-high six assists to move into the No. 5 spot for all-time career assists in program history.
• Joyce Edwards led the offense for the 12th time this season, finishing with 14 points while adding eight boards, two blocks and three steals.
• Tessa Johnson was a beast behind the arc, finishing 3-for-4 with her last 3 of the game tying things up during a 10-4 run by the Gamecocks.
• Madina Okot tallied 10 points, highlighted by a 3 in the fourth quarter that put South Carolina up by four.
• Seven of nine Gamecocks who hit the floor scored, with all five starters finishing in double figures.
• The back-and-forth game featured 10 lead changes and eight ties, including nine and three, respectively in the third quarter alone.