No. 3 South Carolina tops Auburn 81-51 thanks to another strong effort from Joyce Edwards

No. 3 South Carolina tops Auburn 81-51 thanks to another strong effort from Joyce Edwards
No. 3 South Carolina tops Auburn 81-51 thanks to another strong effort from Joyce Edwards

AUBURN, Alabama (AP) — Joyce Edwards scored 20 points, Tessa Johnson added 13 and No. 3 South Carolina beat Auburn 81-51 on Thursday night.

Edwards, the team’s leading scorer, made 9 of 14 shots and had five rebounds. Johnson had five assists and three rebounds for the Gamecocks (21-2, 7-1 Southeastern Conference), and Maddy McDaniel hit all three of her 3-pointers for nine points.

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Auburn (13-9, 2-6) shot 30% from the field in its third straight home matchup with a team ranked in the AP Top 25.

The Gamecocks started well, going on a 14-0 run that took nearly five minutes of action in the first quarter before Ja’Mia Harris hit a 3-pointer for the Tigers.

South Carolina forced 15 turnovers and scored 16 points on those turnovers.

Auburn was able to hold South Carolina scoreless for more than four minutes in the second quarter, but could not find enough offense to get back into the game, scoring just six points in the quarter.

The Gamecocks took a 38-16 lead into halftime and shot 50% from the field in the first half and had more success in the second half.

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South Carolina’s size proved to be a problem for the Tigers. The Gamecocks had a 40-22 scoring advantage in the paint.

Harissoum Coulibaly, Auburn’s leading scorer, was held to 10 points on 5-of-16 shooting. He also had five turnovers. Syriah Daniels scored 11 points and Khady Leye nine points and seven rebounds.

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South Carolina plays at Texas A&M on Monday.

Auburn visits No. 17 Ole Miss that same night.

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