“They’ve logged enough minutes to know what people are really good at, and they’re more apt to make an extra pass than they were last year.” Dawn Staley expressed optimism just before she entered, what is her 17th season at South Carolina’s helm. True to head coach’s words, her team opened the season with an impressive but tightly contested win over Michigan. Now after the game, a Gamecocks player revealed the surge of emotions that ran through the team during that season opener.

Just days after South Carolina’s season opener, guard Raven Johnson took a break from practice to chat with the media about the team’s new journey. Standing courtside, Johnson opened up about the weight of expectations they felt heading into their first game since last year’s title win.

“Pressure, oh my gosh! It felt like a national championship game. I mean it was so physical,” exclaimed the USC junior.

The Gamecocks didn’t exactly get off to the start they hoped for. In the first quarter against the Michigan Wolverines, they found themselves scrambling, ending the period trailing by three. But as the game went on, South Carolina settled in, slowly but surely outscoring the Wolverines in the following quarters. By the final buzzer, the Gamecocks had claimed a hard-fought 68-62 victory.

Later, the Gamecocks’ #25 guard also shared her thoughts on the competitive challenges ahead and how the team plans to approach their preparations. Johnson said, “I think we ‘ve got to take one game at a time. We know the teams are coming for us, they want to beat us. So I think you gotta take one game at a time and just be ready, be prepared for the moment.”

While Johnson provided insights on South Carolina’s approach, she herself had a night to forget against the Wolverines. Rather, it was her fellow junior who stole the spotlight in the win, guiding Staley’s squad to the victory.

Raven Johnson struggles, Chloe Kitts heoric: Dawn Staley analyses her players’ performance

Despite being in her third year with the South Carolina program, Raven Johnson didn’t have the game she had hoped for taking Wolverines. Even though she played 30 minutes on the court, she only managed to score two points—both coming from free throws—and missed all eight of her field goal attempts. However, Johnson did manage to contribute in other ways, pulling down seven rebounds, a notable improvement over her averages from the past two seasons.

Nevertheless, Staley remained a pillar of support, emphasizing that the Michigan defense had left her with plenty of space, and Johnson was simply trying to capitalize on the opportunities. And those were not very bad. To high up Johnson’s moral, Staley said, “But she defends, manages our basketball team. When Raven scores, it’s extra for us. But she’s going to score for us, and I hope she doesn’t lose confidence because she didn’t score tonight.”

While Johnson may have struggled, it was fellow junior Chloe Kitts who stepped up to lead the scoring with 19 points, marking a game-high performance. Kitts also grabbed 14 rebounds, earning herself a well-deserved double-double. However, Staley seemed to be more demanding of Kitts as she said, “I think every single player fell short of how they really wanted to play, even Chloe (Kitts). Chloe had a double-double, but she took some ill-advised shots.”

Looking ahead, the Gamecocks are set to face the NC State Wolfpack on Sunday, November 10th, at noon. It’ll be intriguing to see if the defending champions can build on their previous performance and deliver a stronger showing on the court.