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Raven Johnson, Edwards lead the way as No. 3 South Carolina holds off Florida 74-63

Raven Johnson, Edwards lead the way as No. 3 South Carolina holds off Florida 74-63 | iNFOnews.ca
Florida bench celebrates for teammates playing against South Carolina during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Morgan Hurd)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Raven Johnson had 17 points and Joyce Edwards scored seven of her 11 points in the fourth quarter as No. 3 South Carolina held on to win its 18th straight game over Florida 74-63 on Sunday.

The Gamecocks (15-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) played a second consecutive game without injured second-leading scorer Ta’Niya Latson and her absence showed throughout against Florida (12-5, 0-2).

South Carolina had a season-high 21 turnovers, shot less than 35% and were only up 53-48 with nine minutes left before Edwards finally got going. The team’s top scorer this season had made only one of five shots to that point, but hit baskets on three of the next six possessions as the Gamecocks opened a 66-56 lead. Tessa Johnson added a 3-pointer in that stretch.

Edwards finished with 10 rebounds for her third double-double this season. Madina Okot, a Mississippi State transfer, had 11 points and 17 rebounds for her 11th double-double South Carolina. Tessa Johnson scored 15 points and had three of the Gamecocks’ five 3-pointers.

Liv McGill had 18 points and seven rebounds for Florida.

Latson, the Florida State transfer, led the.country in scoring a season ago and has averaged 16.9 points for the Gamecocks. Latson sprained her left ankle early in a win over Providence and missed Thursday’s win over Alabama to kick off SEC play.

The Gamecocks looked sloppy without Latson for much of the first half. They led 21-12 before Florida took off on a 15-3 run and led 27-24 with less than five minutes before the break.

The Gators took advantage with three of South Carolina’s 11 first-half turnovers — the Gamecocks came in averaging 11.3 turnovers a game.

South Carolina, though, found its form down the stretch as Raven Johnson and Tessa Johnson combined for 10 points in a 13-4 surge to retake the lead at the break, 37-31.

Up next

South Carolina heads to Arkansas on Thursday night.

Florida is home to play Texas A&M on Thursday night.

___

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

Raven Johnson, Edwards lead the way as No. 3 South Carolina holds off Florida 74-63 | iNFOnews.ca
Florida guard Emilija Dakic shoots against South Carolina guard Ayla McDowell during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Morgan Hurd)
Raven Johnson, Edwards lead the way as No. 3 South Carolina holds off Florida 74-63 | iNFOnews.ca
Florida guard Liv McGill, center, celebrates during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against South Carolina, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Morgan Hurd)
Raven Johnson, Edwards lead the way as No. 3 South Carolina holds off Florida 74-63 | iNFOnews.ca
South Carolina forward Adhel Tac shows her frustration towards refs for not calling foul on Florida during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Morgan Hurd)
Raven Johnson, Edwards lead the way as No. 3 South Carolina holds off Florida 74-63 | iNFOnews.ca
South Carolina guard Ayla McDowell, forward Maryam Dauda and Florida center Gift Ezekiel go for the rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Morgan Hurd)

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