No. 3 South Carolina travels to Auburn on Thursday night looking to extend its 16-game win streak against the Tigers, as Dawn Staley’s squad bounced back from its lone SEC loss with a dominant 103-74 demolition of No. 5 Vanderbilt on Sunday.
South Carolina Women’s Basketball Projected Starting Lineup
- Raven Johnson
- Ta’Niya Latson
- Tessa Johnson
- Joyce Edwards
- Madina Okot
Auburn Women’s Basketball Projected Starting Lineup
- Harissoum Coulibaly
- Kaitlyn Duhon
- Mya Petticord
- Khady Leye
- Ja’Mia Harris
South Carolina Rebounds with Statement Win Over Vanderbilt
The Gamecocks suffered their first SEC loss of the season at Oklahoma on Jan. 23 but responded in emphatic fashion with a 103-74 victory over No. 5 Vanderbilt at Colonial Life Arena. Florida State transfer Ta’Niya Latson led the way with 21 points in what was her first 20-point SEC game of the season.
South Carolina ranks fourth nationally in scoring (89.0 PPG) and fourth in field goal percentage (51.1%), showcasing the offensive firepower Dawn Staley added after losing MiLaysia Fulwiley to rival LSU.
The Gamecocks have shot 60% or better from the field in six games this season, including 61.5% against Vanderbilt, the fourth-best shooting percentage against a ranked opponent in program history.
Sophomore Joyce Edwards has emerged as a National Player of the Year candidate, ranking 18th nationally with 20.0 points per game while shooting 59.1% from the field. Edwards and senior point guard Raven Johnson both earned spots on the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List this week.
MORE: LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson Makes Heartwarming Charity Gesture Ahead of Arkansas Clash
Johnson ranks fourth nationally with a 3.71 assist-to-turnover ratio, anchoring an offense that generates 1.206 points per possession, second-best in the nation.
Junior Tessa Johnson leads the SEC in three-point percentage at 46.6% (sixth nationally), while freshman Agot Makeer  — ranked sixth in the 2025 recruiting class — has elevated her scoring to 7.9 points per game in conference play.
Auburn Fighting Through Brutal Stretch
Johnnie Harris’s Tigers find themselves in the midst of five consecutive games against ranked opponents. After knocking off No. 21 Alabama in a signature home win on Jan. 15, Auburn fell to No. 5 Vanderbilt (87-69) and No. 16 Oklahoma (72-65) in its last two contests.
Against Oklahoma, the Tigers rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to tie the game at 59-59 with less than five minutes remaining before the Sooners pulled away.
Senior A’riel Jackson scored a career-high 19 points in the loss, while freshman Harissoum Coulibaly has emerged as Auburn’s most consistent performer, averaging 11.1 points per game while shooting 50.8% from the field.
Redshirt junior Kaitlyn Duhon provides elite perimeter defense, ranking fourth in the SEC and 15th nationally with 3.3 steals per game. She had seven steals in wins over Cal and Mississippi State this season.
Sophomore Khady Leye leads the team in rebounding at 5.1 per game and scored a career-high 20 points against Mississippi Valley State.
Auburn’s defense has been stout (20 of 21 opponents have been held below their season scoring average), but the Gamecocks present a different challenge entirely. South Carolina scores 29.3 more points per game (89.0) than Auburn allows (59.7), creating a significant efficiency gap.
Key Matchup: Defensive Identity vs. Offensive Firepower
The chess match between Auburn’s stingy defense and South Carolina’s dynamic offense will determine Thursday’s outcome.
Auburn allows opponents to shoot just 33.9% from the field, but the Tigers make 41.1% of their own shots, creating a 7.2 percentage point gap that South Carolina’s suffocating defense (seventh nationally in opponent FG%) can exploit.
South Carolina’s ball security (12.8 turnovers per game, 19th nationally) against Auburn’s aggressive ball-hawking defense will be critical. The Gamecocks allow just 10.8 points off turnovers, 12th-lowest in the country.
How to Watch South Carolina vs. Auburn
- Date: Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026
- Time: 9 p.m. ET
- Location: Auburn, AL
- Arena: Neville Arena
- TV Channel: SEC Network
- Announcers: Sam Gore (play-by-play), Carolyn Peck (analyst)
- Live Stream: ESPN App / SEC Network
- Radio (Auburn): ESPN 106.7 FM (Brit Bowen, Larry DiChiara)
- Radio (South Carolina): B106.7 FM
