Despite suffering a 66-62 loss to the No. 4 Texas Longhorns on Sunday, South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley had immense praise for the state of women's basketball.

Staley gave her thoughts on the sport's growth in the postgame press conference. She views women's basketball to be getting more respect from viewers as they tuned in to the game before Super Bowl 59.

“Quite honestly, we’re it right now, Women’s basketball is it right now. They’re not gonna put just any women’s game on to be a prelude to the Super Bowl. They put it on because they know the ratings will be there. They knew it was going to be a tightly matched basketball game,” Staley said.

“I just hope now that people are seeing our game being showcased, that we’ll get the respect in all areas — revenue sharing — we get the respect in all areas that that our game deserves.”

How Dawn Staley's Gamecocks performed against Texas

South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley tells her team to stay calm in the second half as the Texas Longhorns take on the Gamecocks at the Moody Center, Feb. 9, 2025. Texas won the game 66-62.
Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Sunday was a nail-biting defeat for Dawn Staley and the No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks.

Both teams were at a standstill heading into the fourth quarter with the score at 49 apiece. However, No. 4 Texas made more plays down the stretch to outscore South Carolina 17-13 in the last 10 minutes and win the game. The Longhorns did this despite failing to make a three-pointer for the entire contest.

MiLaysia Fulwiley was the only Gamecock to score in double-digits with 13 points, as the team shot under 40% overall. Joyce Edwards and Chloe Kitts had nine points each, while Te-Hina Paopao put up eight points.

The loss marked the Gamecocks' second of the season, their first happening against No. 1 UCLA. They remain one of the best teams in the country with a 22-2 overall record, going 10-1 after 11 games of SEC Play. They produce 80.3 points on 46.7% shooting from the field and 33.8% from beyond the arc, blowing out opponents by 24.5 points per game.

The No. 2 Gamecocks look to return to the win column in their next matchup. They host the Florida Gators on Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. ET.