The No. 1-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks opened their 2026-27 campaign on Monday with a 101-93 win against No. 20 Maryland. The Gamecocks converted their first seven shots to build a 26-5 advantage, eventually extending their lead to a game-high 31 points. However, in the second half, Maryland sophomore guard Addi Mack scored 31 points, helping the Terrapins reduce the deficit to six points in the final minute, before USC secured the victory. So more than the game, this became the talking point for one former Gamecock, as she gave her take on Staley’s sideline behaviour.
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When Candace Parker pointed out that Dawn Staley was probably mad that South Carolina almost gave up the lead, her co-host, Aliyah Boston, chipped in with a different take.
“I know she was probably mad, but my thing was she was so calm, and I get it like it’s game one, but I was like, she would have called a timeout and blacked on us,” Boston said on the ‘Post Moves’ Podcast, while reminiscing about her time with Staley.
“You just look at her. She’s just standing there like it was funny, though. They had a three or something, and they panned the camera at her, and she was still unamused. That’s one thing she will do is just, like That’s what you’re supposed to do… next play, I don’t know.”
Dawn Staley also realized the contrast in her team’s performance in both halves.
“It was a tale of two halves,” Staley said after the game. “You’ve certainly gotta play for 40 minutes every time we step on the floor.”
Holding a 28-point advantage at halftime (61-33), the Gamecocks’ defensive efficiency dropped in the second half. Mack drove Maryland’s offensive output, generating all but four of her points after the first half. She recorded 17 points in the third quarter, marking a 26-17 period advantage for the Terrapins in that quarter. In her postgame assessment, Dawn Staley also noted that Mack successfully exploited South Carolina’s defensive structure.
South Carolina’s field goal percentage also declined to 33 percent in the third quarter. Additionally, the Gamecocks committed 17 turnovers during the contest, with many of those coming in the second half.
However, South Carolina sustained efficient shooting for most of the game, ultimately finishing with a 49 percent overall field goal percentage and a 50 percent conversion rate from the three-point range.
Four of South Carolina’s five starters reached double figures, led by a team-high 23 points from Joyce Edwards. Tessa Johnson scored 15 points, Jordan Lee added 13 points, and Agot Makeer also scored 20, while Chloe Kitts contributed eight. Dawn Staley primarily utilized a seven-player rotation, with Ashlyn Watkins and Jerzy Robinson serving as the only reserves to log more than 10 minutes of court time.
Robinson’s outing elicited rare praise from Staley.
“I thought Jerzy did great,” Staley said. “I thought she was super composed… She made passes that were real natural to her. I think she does a great, great job at just seeing the floor. I thought she was really efficient from the floor, and when a player like that, no matter how young they are, if they have it going on like that, she was in it at the end of the basketball game.”
And Robinson was not the only player that caught everyone’s eye in this game.
Candace Parker Pumped For Agot Makeer This Season
Gamecocks sophomore guard Makeer recorded a career-high 20 points, shooting 8-for-10 from the field and making all four of her shots from beyond the arc. Looking at her performance, Candace Parker made a bold prediction for her this season.
“Makeer is a hooper, like she’s somebody that I’m looking to have a breakout season,” Parker said.
Logging in 25 minutes, Makeer added two blocks and two steals to anchor her team on the defensive end as well. She would have had more impact on the game if not for two early fouls, which necessitated her removal from the floor for a while.
Her offensive contributions turned out to be quite valuable at the end, and Staley echoed a similar point.
“Gotti always has a way of meeting the moment and today we needed every single one of her points,” Staley said.
The Gamecocks’ next scheduled matchup is against No. 12 North Carolina on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 5:30 p.m. The game will be played in Charlotte, North Carolina, as part of the Ally Tipoff event and broadcast on ESPN.