FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (Interstat) — South Carolina delivered a commanding performance Thursday night, routing Arkansas 93-58 in a Southeastern Conference women’s basketball game at Bud Walton Arena. The Gamecocks (16-1, 3-0 SEC) set the tone early with a 29-point first quarter and never relented, holding the Razorbacks (11-7, 0-3) to 32.8% shooting from the floor. Joyce Edwards led South Carolina with 22 points, while Tessa Johnson added 19. South Carolina’s defense forced 21 turnovers, converting them into 30 points. Arkansas was led by Jada Bates’ 16 points. The Gamecocks dominated inside, outscoring the Razorbacks 48-20 in the paint and outrebounding them 45-31. South Carolina shot 51.5% from the field and recorded 11 steals and nine blocks in the victory before an announced crowd of 2,963.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (Interstat) — The South Carolina Gamecocks delivered a dominant defensive and rebounding clinic Thursday night, overwhelming the Arkansas Razorbacks 93-58 in a Southeastern Conference women’s basketball matchup at Bud Walton Arena. From the opening tip, which 6-foot-6 freshman Madina Okot won for the Gamecocks, South Carolina imposed its will. The Gamecocks raced to a 29-point first quarter, fueled by a stifling defense that forced seven Arkansas turnovers in the period and converted them into easy scoring opportunities. Joyce Edwards, the sophomore forward from Camden, South Carolina, set the tone early with six points in the opening frame as South Carolina built a 29-12 lead. The Razorbacks showed brief resistance in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 14 points behind Jada Bates, who scored eight of her team-high 16 points before halftime. But South Carolina’s depth and relentless pressure proved insurmountable. The Gamecocks closed the first half on a 10-2 run, capped by a Raven Johnson pull-up jumper, to take a 48-31 advantage into the break. Any notion of an Arkansas comeback was extinguished in the third quarter. South Carolina opened the period with a 10-3 burst, highlighted by an Agot Makeer steal and driving layup, to push the lead to 24 points. The Gamecocks’ defense held Arkansas to just 14 points in the quarter while their offense poured in 28, extending the margin to 76-45 and turning the final period into a formality. The most decisive stretch of the game came during that third-quarter surge, where South Carolina’s defensive identity was on full display. The Gamecocks forced five turnovers in the quarter, blocked three shots, and held Arkansas to 5-of-15 shooting from the field. This defensive lockdown, which created a cascade of transition opportunities, allowed South Carolina to blow the game open and effectively seal the outcome with ten minutes still to play. South Carolina’s statistical dominance was comprehensive. The Gamecocks outshot Arkansas 51.5% to 32.8% from the field, outrebounded the Razorbacks 48-31, and scored 48 points in the paint to Arkansas’s 20. Perhaps most telling was the turnover battle: South Carolina forced 21 Arkansas miscues, converting them into 30 points, while committing only 12 turnovers of their own. Edwards led all scorers with 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting, adding three steals. Tessa Johnson provided a major spark off the bench with 19 points, including three 3-pointers, and three assists. Okot was a force in the middle with 15 points, four blocks, and a game-high 11 rebounds. Raven Johnson added 14 points, and Makeer contributed nine points, four steals, and three blocks. For Arkansas, Bates’s 16 points led the way. Taleyah Jones added 13 points, and Harmonie Ware finished with eight points. The Razorbacks struggled to find any consistent offensive rhythm against the nation’s top-ranked defense, finishing with an offensive rating of just 71.5 points per 100 possessions. With the victory, No. 1 South Carolina improves to 16-1 overall and 2-0 in the SEC. The Gamecocks have now won five consecutive games since their lone loss to Texas in late November, with each win coming by at least 11 points. Arkansas falls to 11-7 overall and 0-2 in conference play. South Carolina next hosts Georgia on Sunday. Arkansas travels to face Tennessee, also on Sunday. The announced attendance was 2,963. South Carolina covered the pregame spread as a 33.5-point favorite, and the combined total of 151 points went under the over/under line of 147.5.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (Interstat) — The top-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks, riding a nine-game winning streak, face a road test against the Arkansas Razorbacks in a Southeastern Conference women’s basketball matchup Thursday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena. South Carolina (15-1, 2-0 SEC) has been dominant since its lone loss to Texas in November, winning by an average margin of 39.2 points during its streak. The Gamecocks are coming off a 74-63 victory at Florida on Sunday, where they controlled the paint behind another standout performance from forward Madina Okot. The junior recorded 12 points and 17 rebounds in that win, continuing a remarkable stretch of double-doubles. Over her last five games, Okot is averaging 16 points and 12.8 rebounds. Arkansas (11-6, 0-2) seeks its first conference win after opening SEC play with losses to Vanderbilt and Alabama. The Razorbacks fell 77-48 at Alabama on Sunday, struggling offensively. Guard Bonnie Deas, a key player for Arkansas, contributed nine points and eight rebounds in that contest. She averages 8.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game this season. The Gamecocks boast a balanced attack, with Raven Johnson (17 points) and Joyce Edwards (11 points, 10 rebounds) also excelling in the Florida win. Their depth and relentless rebounding have overwhelmed most opponents. Arkansas will need a significant defensive effort and efficient scoring to challenge the nation’s elite. Home-court advantage at Bud Walton Arena, where the Razorbacks are 8-2 this season, provides a potential catalyst. South Carolina has won the last 12 meetings in the series. Arkansas’s last victory came in January 2020. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST. South Carolina hosts Georgia on Sunday in its next game, while Arkansas travels to face Tennessee.