South Carolina women’s basketball earned a hard-fought 74–63 road win over Florida on Sunday, and head coach Dawn Staley acknowledged it wasn’t pretty but it was valuable.
After committing 21 turnovers, Staley said the Gamecocks were rushed throughout the game and struggled to play at their preferred pace. Florida’s pressure forced South Carolina to speed up, leading to mistakes, but Staley emphasized that winning “ugly” is sometimes part of the process. She said the team will review the film, make corrections, and move forward grateful for the victory.
Staley noted that games like this are typical in SEC play, where no opponent allows easy wins. She reminded her players how difficult it has been to play at Florida in the past and stressed the importance of making in-game adjustments, staying confident, and not letting momentum swings affect performance. With a relatively young group still learning to play together, she sees steady growth.
When Florida grabbed the lead in the second quarter, Staley said she stayed calm, believing that panic from the bench can spread to the players. Her focus was on getting defensive stops and turning them into easier scoring opportunities, which she felt the team eventually did.
Staley praised Raven Johnson and Maddy McDaniel for their defensive work, particularly in limiting Liv McGill, a player capable of taking over games offensively. She highlighted McDaniel’s impact, noting that her strong play kept her on the floor for 33 minutes because of how much she contributed on both ends.
South Carolina shot just 34% from the field, their lowest mark of the season—and Staley credited Florida’s defensive pressure for that. She explained that the Gamecocks struggled to make quick decisions, hesitating between shooting, driving, or kicking the ball out. While the pace caused problems, Staley said she prefers her team learning to handle faster play rather than slowing everything down.
Staley also discussed her use of timeouts, noting that she rarely uses all of them but felt the team needed breaks to reset due to fatigue. Even then, she said some games simply require grinding out a win, regardless of style.
Finally, she spoke about freshman Agot Makeer, who struggled early but responded well in the second half. With limited practice time and increased responsibility due to injuries, Staley said mistakes are expected. She was encouraged by Makeer’s scoring burst, improved defense, and overall development, calling the minutes valuable for her growth and the team’s depth moving forward.
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