Madina Okot Delivers Late-Game Heroics as No. 2 South Carolina Outlasts No. 4 Texas in Thriller
Another chapter in one of women’s college basketball’s most compelling new rivalries delivered exactly what we’ve come to expect: high stakes, high drama, and just enough chaos to keep fans on the edge of their seats.
No. 2 South Carolina and No.
4 Texas met for the fourth time since March, and despite a combined 42 turnovers, the matchup didn’t disappoint. In front of a raucous crowd of 17,188 at Colonial Life Arena, the Gamecocks held on for a gritty 68-65 win, thanks in large part to a late dagger from an unlikely hero.
Enter Madina Okot. The 6-foot-6 center, known more for her interior presence than perimeter shooting, stepped into the spotlight with the game hanging in the balance.
She buried her third three-pointer of the season-yes, you read that right-to seal the win for South Carolina. It was a moment that perfectly captured the resilience and depth of this Gamecocks squad.
“She couldn’t have hit it at a more important time-for her and for us,” head coach Dawn Staley said postgame. “Sometimes when players are working through things, they just have to get to the other side. This was unfamiliar territory for her, and she delivered.”
It was a heavyweight battle with all the trimmings: top-five national rankings, SEC implications, and a national TV audience tuned in to see two of the sport’s elite programs go toe-to-toe once again. And once again, South Carolina found a way to come out on top.
Now 18-1 overall and 5-0 in SEC play, the Gamecocks remain tied with unbeaten Vanderbilt atop the conference standings. But Thursday night’s win wasn’t easy. Texas came in with a plan and executed it early, building a nine-point lead in the first half before South Carolina clawed back to tie things up at the break.
“They make you make the perfect pass for 40 minutes,” Staley said of the Longhorns’ relentless defensive pressure. “I didn’t think they’d press us as much as they did.
They backed off a little the last time we played them, but not tonight. They kept coming, and we were definitely bothered by it.”
South Carolina turned the ball over 20 times and got just nine points from its bench, but the starting five came through in the clutch. Joyce Edwards led the way with 14 points, including six in the fourth quarter, while all five starters finished in double figures. Raven Johnson came up big late, slicing through the defense for a pair of crucial layups that helped the Gamecocks hold off a late Texas push.
The game featured 10 lead changes and the kind of physical, back-and-forth energy that makes March feel a little closer than the calendar suggests. Both teams knew what was on the line, and it showed in every possession.
“They wanted to win. They knew how important this game was-and so did we,” said Staley.
“It was a knockout, drag-out. It was as advertised.”
The Gamecocks will now step out of SEC play with a visit to Coppin State on Sunday, before returning to conference action for another tough stretch against Top 13 opponents. But if Thursday night was any indication, this team is battle-tested, deep, and ready for whatever comes next.
And with players like Madina Okot proving they can rise to the moment, South Carolina’s ceiling just might be even higher than we thought.