Edwards scores 20 as No. 2 South Carolina wins 64th straight at home, 82-46 over Charleston Southern

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Joyce Edwards scored 20 points as No. 2 South Carolina shook off an awful start to win its 64th straight home game, a 82-46 victory over Charleston Southern on Thursday.

The Gamecocks (11-1) get the next 10 days off from competition and may have been thinking about that early on as they made two of their first 13 shots and trailed the Buccaneers 15-11 after 10 minutes.

Bree Hall hit a 3-pointer to start a 23-11 run to gain control and South Carolina pulled away over the final two quarters.

Ashlyn Watkins had eight points, eight rebounds and three of South Carolina’s six blocked shots.

Catherine Alben had 14 points to lead Charleston Southern (4-9), which fell to 0-9 all time against the Gamecocks.

South Carolina guard Te-Hina Paopao (0) pushes the ball up court during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Charleston Southern in Columbia, S.C., Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Takeaways

Charleston Southern: There’s a lot for the Bucs to feel good about as they end their nonconference schedule. Yes, things got of hand at the end, but this was a four-point game in third quarter.

South Carolina: Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley might do well to chalk up this game to holiday break anticipation and never watch the tape. Her team shot just 2 of 13 in the opening quarter and struggled to put away the Buccaneers until the second half.

Key moment

South Carolina was down 15-11 after the first quarter, the fourth time this season the Gamecocks have trailed after 10 minutes, when Hall hit a 3-pointer to spark the game-changing run.