No. 3 South Carolina won’t have leading rebounder Okot and reserve Makeer against Penn State

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — No. 3 South Carolina will be without leading rebounder and shot blocker Madina Okot and reserve Agot Makeer when it faces Penn State on Sunday.

The team announced the absences on social media shortly before tipoff.

Okot had 10 points and nine rebounds in last Sunday’s 106-42 victory over North Carolina Central. But she left midway in the second quarter and did not return. Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said afterward that Okot had felt ill during the game, which kept her from playing in the second half.

Okot is a 6-foot-6 transfer forward from Mississippi State who had an immediate impact on the Gamecocks. She leads with team with 11.1 rebounds a game and she has 17 blocks. Okot, a senior, is third on the team with 14.8 points a game.

Makeer, a 6-1 freshman, has missed the past two games after sustaining a concussion.

The absences of Okot and Makeer leave the Gamecocks with eight available players on Sunday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP mobile app). AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball