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South Carolina women's basketball: Five Things to Watch – #9 TCU

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South Carolina women's basketball: Five Things to Watch – #9 TCU


South Carolina women’s basketball faces its second Top-10 opponent in four days when it meets #9 TCU on Sunday. Find out what to watch for and how to watch the game.

1. Sania’s game
During the Duke game, someone sitting nearby wondered aloud why Sania Feagin was still starting (I won’t out the person who said it). Over the next two minutes, Feagin made a basket, blocked a shot, and assisted on a layup.

That’s why she’s still starting.

Feagin replaced Kamilla Cardoso in the lineup, but that doesn’t mean she is expected to replace her production. She isn’t expected to put up 15 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks every game. But Feagin can do a lot of different things and her guard skills give opponents a different look. 

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Feagin got off to a slow start this season but has settled into her new role. She’s averaging 6.7 points – the same as last season – and has hit double figures in two of the last three games. She’s also averaging 3.9 rebounds, which is a career-high, and playing the best defense of her career.

South Carolina doesn’t need Feagin to be a star. She’s more of a table-setter for the rest of the team, especially as Ashlyn Watkins and Joyce Edwards emerge.

2. Wrapping up Duke
South Carolina dominated about 75% of the game against Duke. How concerned should the Gamecocks be about the other 25%?

Not very, Dawn Staley believes. She left her second unit in the game to start the fourth quarter and Duke went on a 10-0 run. After the game, she acknowledged she should have substituted sooner, but wanted the less experienced group to try to stop the run on their own.

“I think the group that we had in probably played a little bit too long,” she said. “I just try to give them an opportunity because, the group that was in, the second group that was in, pushed the lead back up to 20, and then the lead went to 10 like that. Bad shots, bad decisions, bad defense, and then we really couldn’t keep them in that much longer.”

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A day later, Staley’s opinion hadn’t changed. The 20-point lead gave South Carolina the cushion to allow players to make mistakes that they can learn from.

“They’re really trying to concentrate on those spaces in which we just aren’t locked in because teams get back in the game, and teams get into our lead,” Staley said. “Or if we had a lead, then we are digging ourselves a bigger hole. So, great learning opportunity.”

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3. Bench mob
Let’s tie those first two items together, shall we?

South Carolina’s second unit may have had some issues against Duke, but the Gamecocks general strategy remains to hold serve, get to the bench, and take control of the game. 

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Feagin only plays 16 minutes per game, less than Edwards (20), Kitts (19), and Watkins (19). She is one of the first players to sub out, and it’s her job to essentially set the table for Watkins and Edwards. 

From the South Carolina game notes, the Gamecock bench accounts for 49.2% of the offense (39.4 ppg). The reserves have tied or out-scored their starting teammates in five games, including the last three games against ranked opponents.

It makes sense, then, that South Carolina’s best quarter is the second quarter. That’s when most teams play their reserves the most. South Carolina is outsourcing opponents by 8.3 points in the second quarter. The point differential is six points or less in the other three quarters.

4. One more for the road neutral site
South Carolina is first in the NET rankings and TCU is fourth, and games like this are why. Even though the game is in Fort Worth, where TCU is located, it is technically a neutral site game.

They are playing at Dickies Arena, which opened in 2019, instead of TCU’s on-campus Schollmaier Arena. It even has a sponsor and a name: The U.S. LBM Coast to Coast Challenge, and there is a men’s doubleheader featuring TCU vs Vanderbilt and Texas Tech vs Texas A&M earlier in the day. 

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There is no future game included with this one, but Dickies Arena hosts the 2026 NCAA Regionals so South Carolina very well could be back next season. 

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5. Scouting the Horned Frogs
Sunday’s game is the second top-ten matchup in four days and fourth of the season for South Carolina. For TCU, it is the first top-ten matchup in program history. This is also the first game ever between the two programs.

Fortunately for the Horned Frogs, that has no effect on the game itself. Head coach Mark Campbell has used the transfer portal to assemble a veteran team of experienced players. Campbell was formerly the lead recruiter at Oregon and there is a heavy Duck influence.

Three players were formerly at Oregon, and a fourth was at Oregon State. Te-Hina Paopao planned on following Campbell to TCU until South Carolina came calling. 

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Sedona Prince (seventh season) and Hailey Van Lith (fifth season) lead TCU in scoring at 19.4 points. 6-7 Prince also averages 10.8 rebounds and 4.3 blocks, best in the nation. Talent has never been an issue for Prince, but she has dealt with injuries throughout her career.

“You’ve got to chop bigs down. You’ve got to make them work for every catch, every touch over a 40-minute period,” Staley said. “Our depth really has to have an impact on this particular game, so we’ll concentrate on doing that. But know that they have much more than Sedona Prince.”

Despite Prince’s rebounding numbers, TCU doesn’t rebound especially well as a team, and South Carolina might be able to take advantage.

After a disappointing season at LSU, Van Lith has returned to the form that made her an honorable mention All-American. In addition to rediscovering her scoring touch, Van Lith is averaging a career-high 6.6 assists and 5.4 rebounds.

“Played against her when she was at Louisville, played against when she was at LSU,” Staley said. “She’s more in the Louisville – she’s in that mode to where she’s calling on to do a lot of things for their basketball team, so you got to go back and look at the Louisville scout and see the types of things that we did to have an impact on her inability to get clean looks.”

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In the 2022 Final Four, South Carolina had 6-1 Brea Beal guard 5-9 Van Lith and Beal’s size and strength gave her fits. There isn’t exactly a Beal-type player on this season’s roster, but there are multiple long, athletic players who could fill the role.

Van Lith still isn’t a great three-point shooter (27.8%), but as team TCU is shooting extremely well. The Horned Frogs are 15th in the country in three-point attempts per game (28.9), 11th in makes (10.3), and 46th in percentage (35.8%). Madison Conner (43.8%) and Taylor Bigby (41.9%) are the top shooters.

TCU announced on Thursday that guard Maddie Scherr will miss the rest of the season due to a back injury. Scherr, who was once part of the same recruiting class as Paopao at Oregon, has not played this season but averaged 12.5 points last season at Kentucky.

The Ws
Who: #3 South Carolina (8-1) vs #9 TCU (9-0)
When: 7:00 EST, Sunday, December 8
Where: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX
Watch: ESPN2



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South Carolina Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for Dec. 15, 2025

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South Carolina Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for Dec. 15, 2025


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The South Carolina Education Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 15, 2025, results for each game:

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Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

23-35-59-63-68, Powerball: 02, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

Midday: 5-9-2, FB: 6

Evening: 1-3-7, FB: 2

Check Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

Midday: 0-2-2-8, FB: 6

Evening: 7-5-9-6, FB: 2

Check Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

Midday: 10

Evening: 15

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Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Palmetto Cash 5 numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

04-07-16-25-35

Check Palmetto Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

The South Carolina Education Lottery provides multiple ways to claim prizes, depending on the amount won:

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For prizes up to $500, you can redeem your winnings directly at any authorized South Carolina Education Lottery retailer. Simply present your signed winning ticket at the retailer for an immediate payout.

Winnings $501 to $100,000, may be redeemed by mailing your signed winning ticket along with a completed claim form and a copy of a government-issued photo ID to the South Carolina Education Lottery Claims Center. For security, keep copies of your documents and use registered mail to ensure the safe arrival of your ticket.

SC Education Lottery

P.O. Box 11039

Columbia, SC 29211-1039

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For large winnings above $100,000, claims must be made in person at the South Carolina Education Lottery Headquarters in Columbia. To claim, bring your signed winning ticket, a completed claim form, a government-issued photo ID, and your Social Security card for identity verification. Winners of large prizes may also set up an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for convenient direct deposit of winnings.

Columbia Claims Center

1303 Assembly Street

Columbia, SC 29201

Claim Deadline: All prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the draw date for draw games.

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For more details and to access the claim form, visit the South Carolina Lottery claim page.

When are the South Carolina Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 3: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
  • Pick 4: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
  • Cash Pop: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
  • Palmetto Cash 5: 6:59 p.m. ET daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Carolina editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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South Carolina Football: Gamecocks Tight End Plans to Return for Sixth Season

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South Carolina Football: Gamecocks Tight End Plans to Return for Sixth Season


After losing one tight end to the transfer portal and another from eligibility requirements South Carolina was thin coming into the 2026 offseason in that room. Now it appears they will at least get a veteran back as Brady Hunt plans to return to the Gamecocks for his sixth season of college football.

An ankle injury that required Hunt to miss all of 2023, has given him new life in 2026 as he will play his final season with the Garnet and Black next fall. The 6-foot-5 and 248 pound tight end from Muncie, Indiana, transferred to South Carolina in 2024 for his redshirt junior season. Hunt caught 23 passes for 190 yards while adding two rushing touchdowns in 22 games for the Gamecocks in his two seasons.

Over the weekend, Hunt took to Instagram to announce his decision. He posted a photo of himself before a game with the caption “One more go around.” On3 Sports’ first reported the news after getting confirmation that he will get his an extra season of eligibility.

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Tight End Depth

Oct 12, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks tight end Brady Hunt (87) during the second half at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-Imagn Images | Butch Dill-Imagn Images
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With Hunt’s return to the Gamecocks, he is the leader in the room that is now without Michael Smith (transfer) and Jordan Dingle (eligibility). Mike Tyler, Maurice Brown II, Lukas Vozeh, and Reno Roehm make up the rest of the tight end room behind Hunt so far for next season. Hunt is the only one in the group that has seen significant snaps in a Gamecocks uniform.

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This is one area the Gamecocks’ coaching staff will have to hit hard in the transfer portal once it opens on Jan. 2. The tight end spot has been a nice safety valve for quarterback LaNorris Sellers in his time as a starter, so getting a proven veteran to join the team will be near the top of the list during this transfer cycle.

Outside of tight end, Shane Beamer and company will look to fill holes at the wide receiver, running back, offensive line, defensive line, and secondary spots this offseason.

Join the community:

  • Follow Alex Joyce on Twitter: @AlexJoyceSI
  • Follow Joey Walraven on Twitter: @thejoeywalraven

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking “Follow” on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to follow us on X at @GamecocksDigest and on Facebook!

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Everything Dawn Staley said after South Carolina’s win over Penn State

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Everything Dawn Staley said after South Carolina’s win over Penn State


South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley spoke to local media following a 95-55 victory over Penn State.

Here is everything she said.

NEW! Message board for South Carolina Women’s Basketball! 🏀

Dawn, you knew Madina Okot was gonna be out. What was the plan to try to limit Gracie Merkle in the paint?

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“I mean, we wanted to just make sure that she didn’t get any direct passes in her direction. And in order for you to do that, you always have to have your feet higher than hers, you always have to be in front when you are one pass away. Feet above, two passes away. And then when the ball goes in the air, we don’t just go for the ball, we actually just maintain contact with her and crowding her space. So I think Maryam [Dauda] and Ahdel [Tac] didn’t perfect that until today.”

Joyce Edwards had three different career highs today. I know you expect this kind of play from her, but just how crucial was it to play the way she did without Madina?

“You know, Joyce is gonna play that way with Madina, without Madina, with anybody. If it’s a game with a ball that’s being played, she’s gonna play to the best of her ability. I mean, she’s just playing really loose and just finding a way to impact the game through an entire stat line. Do we want the rebounding to be a little bit better? Yes, we do. But the other stuff, the five assists and no turnovers, you know, the six steals, four blocks, like, you know, that is who she is. And I do think we are working with her to just kind of be more than a scorer, because she is one thing that can pretty much fill a stat sheet. It wasn’t at times where she did that. Now she’s aware of it now. And she’s executed.”

Obviously, you don’t want to force any offense from anyone, but just your overall thoughts on the offensive bench production so far, nearing SEC play?

“Just improving. We want to just improve. What that looks like for us is taking good shots, okay? I mean, and that’s basically it. It’s not, you know, if we’re gonna get comfortable, I don’t think all of them are comfortable, and that’s okay to me. They don’t have to be comfortable. When you’re comfortable, you probably lend yourself to doing stuff that you’re not supposed to do. So there’s a little bit of fear of not doing the right thing, which keeps us a little more disciplined. But, you know, I like what we’re bringing to the table. I don’t think, you know, I think Maddy [McDaniel is] starting to get back into the swing of things. Ayla [McDowell] is holding her. I think we can get a little bit more out of Ahdel and Maryam, so we just continue to work with that. And I think it’s good that Madina didn’t play, you know, and they can build some confidence. Definitely defensively, offensively will get the go a little bit.”

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Coach, huge discrepancy in the turnover margin, 26 to 5. What did you see and what did you like from your team in terms of taking care of the ball?

“I like the fact that we took care of the ball and we had great ball movement at times, like really good ball movement. We thought they were going to press us a little bit more, and they didn’t. So we just executed. We moved the ball; we had 20 assists on 37 field goals. I mean, we’re moving in the right direction. So I like the fact that we have single-digit turnovers.”

I know it’s been a tough season just with injuries and illnesses and things, but what are the positives for the healthy players, having to adjust, you know, maybe being a bit uncomfortable? What are the positives for them in those situations?

I mean, I think the positive is mentally they’re going to the games, that they’re gonna play a whole lot of minutes, and they haven’t conserved. Like, they haven’t conserved defensively. They surely aren’t going to conserve offensively. But I just like their mentality, which is the next woman of, like, whether we have eight to practice with, we’re just going to keep moving forward. If we can add another player to the mix in a day or two, the next game, be great. But I want us to always feel like we got a chance, we got enough in the room to win, no matter what the stakes are.”

What’s the prognosis for Madina and Agot [Makeer] to make the Florida trip?

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“I mean this day to day. I mean, we’re not going to force them to make things worse. I think we’re very conscious. I think we’re super conservative. And I don’t have a say in it. I get a report every day, and the report is that we’re going to continue, but they’re not there yet. They do some things in practice, and they’re not there yet. So we’ll just, you know, adhere to what they’re telling us, and if we get them back, it’s going to help us. If we don’t, we just got to keep moving forward.”

The first nine points of the third quarter were all fast-break points. Was that a focus going into the second half to get out and transition before they could set their zone?

“Well, I would say it was probably a product of our defense and rebounding, like, I mean, we didn’t. We gave up 22 offensive rebounds. So, you know, a lot of times they were just getting their own rebound and making us playable a little bit longer. So I think we’ve got rebounds and we pushed, and we saw people up the floor.”

I guess it was the second game, Ta’Niya Latson got herself going in the second half. How do you kind of channel that to get it throughout the game?

“I don’t know, I mean, she’s getting looks. So, I mean, it is, you know, I think Ta’Niya does best when she gets off to a good start. I thought she got off to a good start because she got a lot of assists as well. Like, and you know, when I look at the stat sheet, and she’s got four assists, no field goals of like. You know, got to give her some touches. So we may try to manufacture some touches to where she’s in a comfort zone. Sometimes she makes it, sometimes she does it, but I don’t want her to get rattled because for someone that can score a lot of points in bunches, you know, as long as a lot of time is left in the game, there’s a lot of opportunity for her to just, you know, create some opportunities for the sport.”

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When you got back from Vegas, you mentioned that free throws were kind of a takeaway that you had. I’m just curious, like, is that as simple as practice and kind of routine? What do you see there?

“I will say we practice every day. Every single day, there is not a day that goes by. It’s becoming a little mental now and we can’t just say, ‘Oh, it’s going to fix this stuff. We got to still do something. You can practice a little bit more over here to help us in this gym. But probably a little mental. I hope it turns to where it’s not even, it’s just routine at this point.”



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