South Carolina Gamecocks’ loss to Texas Longhorns snapped a streak that stretched all the way back to their NCAA finals setback against the UConn Huskies, but Dawn Staley made sure it stopped there. The Gamecocks won against Louisville 79-77 through a late-game execution, which Staley called a “great basketball team.” And that narrow finish leaves one question waiting to be answered.

“It was a heavyweight boxing match. It came down to who was going to make the biggest plays at the moment you need them the most.” Staley continued, “I thought they got out and made big plays for themselves in the fourth, building that five-point lead. And it was a turning point for us-whether we were going to succumb to losing the game or fight to get back in it.”

South Carolina and Louisville looked like two heavyweights trading knockout blows. Fittingly, the game was played in the hometown of boxing legend Muhammad Ali. The matchup was close and high-scoring from the very start. Both teams came out firing, scoring at an electric pace. After the first quarter, South Carolina led 27-25. By halftime, the Gamecocks were up 45-39 thanks to their continued hot shooting. But the second half changed everything.

Louisville shot better and controlled stretches of the game. Still, in the final four minutes, the Gamecocks finished stronger, outscoring Louisville 11-4. There were 13 lead changes. The biggest one came with 1:33 left, when Madina Okot scored a layup to put South Carolina up 76-75. The Gamecocks held that lead until the end.

“We all just came in with the mindset of winning, and the ball just happened to find my hands, and it went in,” Raven Johnson said of her shooting.

Johnson scored 10 of South Carolina’s first 14 points. She also posted a season-high seven rebounds and added three assists. When Louisville hit back-to-back threes to take a 73-68 lead with four minutes left, Johnson knocked down a pair of free throws to cut the deficit. Then USC turned to Okot.

The star forward delivered. She scored South Carolina’s next three baskets, with a jumper from Reyna Scott mixed in. Her third basket gave the Gamecocks the lead again with 90 seconds to play. Okot finished with a dominant double-double: 23 points and 13 rebounds.

“I think Madina has to be in more situations like this to continue to rise to the challenge,” Staley said.

Okot scored seven points in the final 2:36, helping USC retake the lead and secure the win. She went 10-for-16 from the field. That’s how South Carolina executed and avoided losing two straight games.

How far have the Gamecocks come?

Dawn Staley’s team lost a lot of experience from last season’s roster. Talented guard MiLaysia Fulwiley transferred to LSU. Star forward Chloe Kitts is out with a season-ending ACL injury. Ashlyn Watkins also took the year off, leaving Staley with a young team and limited experience. 

Despite that, the group is proving resilient. The young bench is adjusting to being thrown into multiple ranked matchups early in the season.

“Probably that it’s hard-that it looks a lot easier than it really is. And then, for us, we’ve got to grow, we’ve got to develop our bench.” Staley shared after the loss to Texas. “We can’t go a whole season playing six or seven players. We’ve got to get to eight or nine comfortably. And the only way you’re going to do that is to put them out there.”

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South Carolina is now 2-1 against ranked teams this season. The win over Louisville counts as a Quad 1 victory, which boosts their resume. Their scoring margin sits at +36.1, the eighth-best mark in the country-significantly better than last year’s +21.1. But…can South Carolina keep this up?