No. 3 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball captured its fifth consecutive SEC regular-season championship outright on Thursday with a 112-71 victory against the Missouri Tigers women's basketball at Colonial Life Arena. South Carolina improved to 28-2 overall and 14-1 in conference play, extending a five-year SEC stretch in which they are 76-3 against league opponents.
The 112 points scored were the third-most in any conference game in SEC history. It also set a program record for scoring in an SEC game, surpassing the previous high of 106 set against the Vanderbilt Commodores women's basketball on Jan. 14, 2021. The Gamecocks led 33-13 after the first quarter and 57-32 at halftime, their highest first-half output against an SEC opponent this season after previously scoring 55 against Vanderbilt.
Senior center Madina Okot recorded 26 points and 17 rebounds, producing her sixth straight double-double and 19th of the season. She had 12 points and seven boards in the opening quarter alone. Joyce Edwards scored 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting, her 18th 20-point performance this season, and maintained her team-best 20.1 scoring average. Ta'Niya Latson contributed 17 points and a career-high seven SEC assists, while Raven Johnson added 16 points, four made 3-pointers (a career high), five rebounds, and five assists. Maddy McDaniel finished with nine points, tying career highs with two 3-pointers and four steals. All nine of South Carolina's players who played scored, with four finishing in double figures.
Missouri, now 16-13 overall and 4-10 in the SEC, received 21 points from Grace Slaughter and made 12 3-pointers but managed only 18 points in the paint while dropping its fifth straight game.
The Gamecocks have won nine consecutive games since their only SEC loss at the Oklahoma Sooners women's basketball on Jan. 22 and completed the regular season 16-0 at home for the seventh time in program history, the fifth such finish in the last seven seasons. South Carolina closes the regular season at No. 18 Kentucky Wildcats women's basketball on March 1 before pursuing a fourth straight SEC tournament title in Greenville.
