Columbia, S.C. — Joyce Edwards poured in 21 points and Madina Okot added 17 as No. 3 South Carolina Gamecocks secured at least a share of the Southeastern Conference regular-season title with an emphatic 85-48 win over No. 17 Mississippi Rebels on Sunday.
South Carolina (27-2, 13-1 SEC) can claim its fifth consecutive conference championship outright with a victory over either the Missouri Tigers or the Kentucky Wildcats in the final week of the regular season. The triumph — the Gamecocks’ 21st straight over the Rebels — also locks up the No. 1 seed for next month’s SEC Tournament in Greenville.
The Gamecocks have not lost to Ole Miss since February 2009. With ESPN GameDay broadcasting from the arena and four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson in attendance, South Carolina delivered a dominant performance.
Ole Miss entered the matchup looking to rebound from a frustrating 78-70 loss to the LSU Tigers, a game in which it surrendered a double-digit fourth-quarter lead at home.
The Rebels kept things close early and trailed just 24-20 after a basket from Christeen Iwuala early in the second quarter. But South Carolina responded with a decisive 17-5 run to close the half, highlighted by two 3-pointers from Okot, the 6-foot-6 transfer from the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Okot finished with 10 rebounds to record her 18th double-double of the season. She contributed four of South Carolina’s 11 blocked shots and was perfect from long range, going 3-for-3.
The Gamecocks’ defense proved suffocating. Cotie McMahon, who entered the game third in the SEC in scoring at 20.7 points per contest, was limited to just two points on 0-of-9 shooting. Iwuala paced the Rebels with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Up Next:
Mississippi travels to face the Florida Gators on Thursday night. South Carolina returns home to host Missouri the same evening.
