COLUMBIA, S.C. — Ta’Niya Latson scored 21 points, Tessa Johnson added 20, and the second-ranked South Carolina women’s basketball team ended No. 5 Vanderbilt’s unbeaten start to the season with a 103-74 victory Sunday in a Southeastern Conference matchup at Colonial Life Arena.
The Commodores had won a program-record 20 straight games to start the season, but they had no answer for South Carolina, which has won 19 straight meetings with Vanderbilt.
The Gamecocks (20-2, 6-1 SEC) came in off Thursday’s 94-82 overtime loss at No. 16 Oklahoma, and right from the start, they took it out on the Commodores (20-1, 6-1).
South Carolina went on an 11-2 burst less than two minutes in and gradually built the lead to 21 points in the second quarter. The Gamecocks did much of the damage on defense, forcing 16 first-half turnovers against a team averaging 12.5 per game this season.
The Commodores gave themselves a chance just before halftime, when Mikayla Blakes had a three-point play with 3.5 seconds left and — after South Carolina tried a court-length football pass that went straight out of bounds — Aubrey Galvan hit a 3-pointer as time expired to trail by 11 at the break.
Vanderbilt opened with two straight baskets in the third quarter to draw within 55-48. That’s when South Carolina went on a 15-2 burst to take control for good.
According to South Carolina’s sports information department, since the 2019-20 season, South Carolina has won the game following a loss (11 games) by an average of 27.1 points. The Gamecocks haven’t lost back-to-back games since the season before that.
Blakes, the SEC’s leading scorer, had 23 points to lead Vanderbilt. She also committed five of her team’s 20 turnovers, which matched a season high.
Madina Okot scored 17 points for the Gamecocks and Joyce Edwards added 16 to give South Carolina five double-digit scorers against a team holding opponents to 58 points this season.
It was South Carolina’s second league victory against a top-five opponent in the past four contests, with the Gamecocks beating fourth-ranked Texas 68-65 on Jan. 15.