South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley didn’t seem perturbed after her first loss of the season against the Texas Longhorns in the Players Era Festival Championship. On the contrary, she believed it to be a learning curve for the team. South Carolina went down with a meager margin (64-66) in a game that they were leading till the third quarter (50-46).

“I’m not at all upset at this game. This is going to help us because there are a lot of things to unpack in it. I mean we play some players that needed to get experience in big-time games and then we found someone that felt comfortable putting in a game to Adhel Tac. That gave us some valuable minutes. I like her energy, effort and rebounding,” Staley stated candidly, breaking down the positives that she took back from the game.

“And if you can give them a run for their money in that way, I mean, you’re on to something. You’re on to being a better team. So, I like our resiliency. We’ve just got to clean up some things at the end of the game.”

Well, Staley is right. There was a lot to like about Carolina’s game, and there was a lot to learn as well.

The Gamecocks rebounded 39-32, but their rebounding performance till the third quarter was a force to be reckoned with. Then, there were players like Joyce Edwards and Madina Okot.

Edwards really showed how dangerous she can be in South Carolina’s two games in Las Vegas. Against Texas, she put up 16 points, shot 7-for-16, and chipped in four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block. Whenever South Carolina needed a push, she was often in the middle of it, helping them build and protect their lead.

In the paint, 6-foot-6 Madina Okot had her own big moment with a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double against a tough Texas frontcourt, the same group that had held UCLA All-American Lauren Betts to just eight points the night before.

The fourth quarter, though, was a different story for Edwards. She didn’t score, going 0-for-3 from the field with just one rebound and one assist. Dawn Staley later said she felt those shots in the fourth were “kind of forced,” but also made it clear that the team trusts Edwards enough to let her be aggressive and look for her own offense.

“Next step is you’ve got to be able to make plays, plays for yourself and plays for your teammates. That’s the next step,” Staley said. “She just has to be aware, because I think she had Tessa (Johnson) in a corner. Just being aware. She’s a young player that we have to put her in situations and show her situations in real time.”

Staley walked away from the game with a clear sense of where her group still needs sharpening. It was the kind of intense, postseason-style matchup you don’t usually get in November, made even more valuable because it came against a conference rival they will cross paths with again.

It also gave her room to experiment a little, giving players who are stepping into larger responsibilities, like sophomore forward Adhel Tac, a chance to feel the pace and pressure of a high-level opponent. And we all know the chatter around how Staley needs to use the bench more efficiently, don’t we?

Key areas for the Gamecocks

South Carolina entered the fourth quarter with the edge and every opportunity to close the door on Texas. Instead, the offense slowed to a crawl. They made half their shots in the final period, but the problem was volume. The Gamecocks simply didn’t generate enough chances to keep pace. Texas, meanwhile, kept firing. By the time the quarter ended, the Longhorns had taken twice as many attempts, and that difference alone began tilting the outcome.

The rebounding battle only made matters worse, and the real damage came in the last ten minutes. The Longhorns pulled down eight offensive rebounds in the fourth. South Carolina didn’t grab a single one.

Then came the silence from the bench. Depth is supposed to give a team oxygen, a burst of energy when legs get heavy. But the reserves never found their footing. One made shot, no defensive disruptions, and very little momentum generated in their minutes. And that’s how Texas walked away with the Players Era Championship.

But this isn’t the end of the story. If anything, the loss will only sharpen Dawn Staley’s team. Reports suggest the Gamecocks are set to return to the Players Era Tournament for the next two years, a sign they’re embracing this high-pressure, NIL-fueled showcase.