South Carolina got a first real glimpse of its new faces Monday night in Paris, and the debut tape had enough to like. The top-ranked Gamecocks opened the season with a 101-93 win over No. 20 Maryland at Adidas Arena, riding a huge first half before needing to fend off a late Terrapins push.
The familiar names helped set the tone, with Joyce Edwards and Agot Makeer leading the offense. But the night also belonged to the newcomers, especially freshman Jerzy Robinson and transfer Jordan Lee, who both stepped right into meaningful roles in their South Carolina debuts.
Robinson gave the Gamecocks an instant jolt off the bench. She finished with 15 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes, going 5-of-10 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.
Her first two made 3s in a South Carolina uniform came quickly, and she also showed she wasn’t afraid to put the ball on the floor and attack. Robinson added 3-of-4 at the line, which mattered late as Maryland tried to claw back into the game.
There were rough edges, too. She turned it over four times, something South Carolina will want to clean up. Even so, the scoring punch and the confidence she showed in her first college game stood out.
Lee’s debut was different, but just as important. The transfer guard scored 13 points and added two rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block across 36 minutes.
Her shot wasn’t falling from deep - she went 0-of-5 from 3-point range and 3-of-11 overall - but she found other ways to make an impact. Lee attacked the basket, drew contact and was perfect at the stripe, hitting all seven of her free throws.
That kind of production gave South Carolina value even on a night when the perimeter shot wasn’t there. Her defensive activity also showed up, helping create chances for the Gamecocks on the other end.
The rest of the freshman group had shorter cameos, but there were still signs of life. Kelsi Andrews played two minutes and didn’t score or grab a rebound, yet she recorded a steal and a block in her collegiate debut.
Justine Loubens, playing in her home country of France, logged three minutes and posted a steal and an assist, including a setup that led to an Edwards basket in transition. Brooke Quarles-Daniels also made her first appearance, getting two minutes against Maryland without recording a statistic.
South Carolina’s lead was big enough to survive the wobble, but the second half was a reminder that there’s work to do after letting Maryland chip away at a 31-point halftime cushion. Still, the opener offered a clear look at what the newcomers can bring.
Robinson brought scoring. Lee brought versatility.
And the freshmen around them gave brief but useful defensive minutes.
Next up is No. 12 North Carolina in Charlotte, and South Carolina heads there with at least one encouraging answer from Paris: the new pieces can already help.
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