No. 1 South Carolina women’s basketball is 3-0 to open the 2026-27 season. Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks beat in-state rival Clemson 65-44 on the road at Littlejohn Coliseum on Thursday, their 16th consecutive win over the Tigers. Staley improved to 16-2 against Clemson during her time at South Carolina.
Defense set the tone. On offense, Chloe Kitts (13 points, 11 rebounds) and Tessa Johnson (12 points) did most of the work. Here is what Staley had to say afterward.
A Defensive Identity Takes Shape
South Carolina limited Clemson to 22.4% shooting and forced 21 turnovers, a performance that stood out even by the Gamecocks’ standards.
“I’m happy this team is finding an identity, and that identity starts with our defense,” Staley said. “We know that this early stage of the game, it’s hard to find that continuity and where people like the ball. But our defense is holding serve, and we’re finding a way to win basketball games.”
Clemson trailed by only nine at halftime, but the third quarter changed the game. South Carolina outscored the Tigers 21-7 in the period, and Clemson committed seven turnovers and did not hit a field goal.
Staley said the halftime response was a good sign. “I like the fact that we can go in the locker room at halftime and talk about some things, and make some adjustments, and actually execute,” Staley said. “It’s a mark of a good team. You know they’re listening, you know they want to do better, and they want to execute. We’ve got enough in the locker room, enough experienced players in the locker room, to help us accomplish that.”
The Bench Gets Its Chance
All but two Gamecocks saw the floor. Jerzy Robinson and Ashlyn Watkins each played 14 minutes, and Alicia Tournebize played 13, making them the busiest reserves. Justin Loubens logged nine minutes, Brooke Quarles-Daniels and Ayla McDowell played eight apiece, and Oliviyah Edwards got three.
Staley liked what she saw from that group. “I thought our depth grew tonight,” Staley said. “I thought each and every one of them that got in the game really helped themselves. And that’s what it’s about: utilizing the playing time that you get. … I thought our team overall got better because of their play.”
Tournebize was the top scorer off the bench with eight points, and she added three rebounds and three blocks. “I thought Ali was great,” Staley said. “Ali really played the way we need her to play on both sides of the basketball. that is what we need from her.”
Staley said the second unit did a “great job at holding serve,” and she encouraged the younger players to stay patient. “If these youngsters can really just trust the process and know that they’re getting better, like they are really getting better,” Staley said. “And a lot of times, getting better doesn’t mean that you’re going to get playing time right away, but it means maybe by the midway through the season, you could be somebody that we could call on every game and know that you’re going to get some minutes.”
Where South Carolina Must Improve
Kitts said the Gamecocks were “out-hustled” by Clemson at times in the first half. South Carolina led 30-21 at the break but shot 39% and had nine turnovers in the opening half. The defense answered by forcing 12 Clemson turnovers and holding the Tigers to 26.7% shooting over the same stretch.
Staley said the game was physical and that South Carolina missed some gritty plays early. “There were just a couple of opportunities where you’re either going to decide to get on the floor, scratch for some 50-50 balls, or not. And we chose not to,” Staley said. “We just can’t afford it. We don’t know how the second half is going to turn out, just as far as our performance. There’s some things that we can control. There’s some things that we can’t control. So we can control whether or not we get on the floor for a loose ball.”
Even with a defense that held up for 40 minutes, she saw areas to sharpen. “We wanted to play ball screen coverage a little bit differently, but they forced us to switch,” Staley said. “I probably saw us switch better in the game than we did in preparation for this game. I just saw really a lot of communication, a lot of cover-ups for each other. I’d like to probably see us rebound a little bit better in this particular game, but they had a really good game plan.”
Bottom Line
Staley’s message after the win was balanced. She is pleased that her team has a defensive foundation, that her bench is contributing and that her players respond well to halftime adjustments. She was equally clear that the effort on loose balls and the rebounding have to improve. With Southern Cal on deck Sunday, those details will matter more than the final score against Clemson.
