South-Carolina

South Carolina’s Alicia Tournebize may be shy, but don’t doubt her drive, ex-teammate says

Published

3 months ago

January 28, 2026

South Carolina’s Alicia Tournebize may be shy, but don’t doubt her drive, ex-teammate says

COLUMBIA — Alicia Tournebize, 18, is South Carolina women’s basketball’s youngest player.

But that’s nothing new. The 6-foot-7 forward was on the younger side of Tango Bourges Basket’s roster, the professional French club she played for before moving to Columbia.

With four-game sample size, Tournebize has shown glimpses of promise in a situation that doesn’t demand excellence anytime soon but greatly benefits from whatever she’s able to give.

“Alicia learns very quickly, over the year she joined the first team of Bourges, she has proven that she has her place among us,” said Tournebize’s former teammate Kariata Diaby in an email to The Greenville News.

Now Tournebize is starting to find her place for the No. 3 Gamecocks (20-2, 6-1 SEC).

Diaby, 30, played 13 games for the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA in 2025 before returning to France to play for Bourges. She is averaging 11.6 points, the second most on the team.

The 6-4 center watched as Tournebize navigated the jump to the professional level.

“For her first season, she was observant, given her age, which is quite normal, but over time she will become a great player and very complete on all levels,” Diaby wrote.

Tournebize arrived in Columbia Jan. 1 but didn’t play until Jan. 15, with practices beginning a week before she took the floor. She watched three games from the bench before checking in during the first quarter in the top-5 game vs Texas.

She scored no points in five minutes then scored eight points in 13 minutes against Coppin State on Jan. 18. In the loss to Oklahoma on Jan. 22, she scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field and had three rebounds in 14 minutes, one of two players to finish with a positive plus/minus.

Against the Sooners she cut to the basket to catch an easy pass from Raven Johnson by the rim, hit a 3-point shot and nailed a short stop-and-pop jumper.

She can jump and elevate in ways most 6-7 players can’t. Diaby confirmed the ability to drive and shoot from both midrange and 3-point territory will stick around as a core part to Tournebize’s game. She had zero points vs. Vanderbilt on Jan. 25.

“She is able to counter and outsmart the opponent on defense,” Diaby wrote. “It’s complicated to score against her. She is a player who manages to do everything on the court whether it is near or far from the rim.”

Tournebize is averaging 4.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 11.5 minutes ahead of Auburn (13-8, 2-5) on Jan. 29 (9 p.m. ET, SEC Network).

South Carolina has not made Tournebize available for interviews so far.

“I think she is someone who will quickly evolve in the world of basketball because she wants to learn and progress,” Diaby wrote.

Alicia Tournebize is South Carolina’s new quiet competitor

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley called Tournebize “unafraid” after two games.

“She is very competitive, she wants to win especially and does not like to lose, even if her shyness does not show it,” Diaby wrote. “She puts all the chances on her side and fights on all aspects and gives energy to her team.”

This maturation process requires attention to detail as she follows the blueprint that South Carolina has already laid out this season.

“Alicia is very kind, easy to live with on and off the court, she listens to others, that’s what I loved about her,” Diaby wrote. “She really has talent and wants to succeed at the highest level simply, all I wish her success in her career and in her life. She is someone who wants to shine everywhere.”

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky‪@bylulukesin.bsky.social‬

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Mid-amateur from South Carolina wins Terra Cotta Invitational in Florida

Published

8 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

Mid-amateur from South Carolina wins Terra Cotta Invitational in Florida

All that separated Connor Doyal from the biggest win of his amateur golfing career was 5 feet of perfectly manicured green on Hole No. 18 at Naples National Golf Club. That plus a super-sized case of the yips.

“My hands were shaking uncontrollably,” said the 26-year-old mid-amateur from Charleston, South Carolina. “But I’ve had some moments like this before, and I think I’ve just learned to let it happen and not fight it. I knew it wasn’t going to be the best stroke of my life, but in the moment, I just had to trust myself to make the putt.”

Just as he had for much of the third and final round of the 30th annual Terra Cotta Invitational, Doyal delivered, dropping in the putt to win the event by one stroke over 17-year-old junior golfer Dawson Lew of Toronto, Canada.

Connor Doyal, a 26-year-old mid-amateur golfer from Charleston, S.C., celebrates with the trophy after winning the 30th annual Terra Cotta Invitational on Saturday, April 18, 2026.

Doyal, who entered the day two shots behind co-leaders Giuseppe Puebla of Royal Palm Beach and University of Florida senior Parker Bell, shot 5-under 67 to finish 12-under, two shots off the low-scoring record for the 54-hole tournament.

“Honestly, I just hit the ball fantastic start to finish,” Doyal said. “I hit a ton of greens and then the putter started heating up. I woke up feeling good this morning, and I knew I had it in me.

“Coming down the stretch, I had to battle. I’m just glad it’s over. I mean, the heart rate is still extremely high right now.”

Doyal had seven birdies in his final round, the best of which came on the par-4 No. 14. He used his six-iron to blast his second shot 220 yards to within inches of the cup, setting up a short putt that gave him a one-shot lead over Bell.

Doyal followed with a birdie on No. 15 to up his lead to two strokes, but made things interesting by shorting a putt on No. 17 for bogey.

Playing in a group just ahead of Doyel, Lew missed a 35-foot try for birdie on the par-5 No. 18 a smidge left to finish at 11-under after a final round 68.

Clinging to that one-shot lead on No. 18, an admittedly amped-up Doyal nearly overshot the green on his third shot from about 80 yards out, the ball settling on the back fringe. He followed with a deft chip, setting up his tournament-winning putt.

“It was a little bit nervy there, but I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Doyal said. “I’m always going to be able to look back at that up and down on 18 and be like I have what it takes when the pressure is on.”

Widely regarded as one of the best amateur events for junior golfers in the country, the Terra Cotta’s field included nearly the entirety of the top 25 in the Rolex American Junior Golf rankings. That included Luke Colton of Frisco, Texas, who was gunning for an unprecedented third consecutive Terra Cotta championship. The 18-year-old Vanderbilt commit came up short in his quest, finishing 3-under and in a tie for 21st place.

“I started off pretty bad, just kind of had a weird first day,” said Colton, who opened with a 2-over 74. “Nothing was going my way. But I was pretty happy with the way I ended it.”

Colton said the Terra Cotta is one of his favorite events of the season.

“You’ve got a great field and obviously an amazing course,” he said. “I think that’s why everybody wants to come and play at this tournament.”

Another top junior was a late and unreported entry to the Terra Cotta. Charlie Woods, son of golfing great Tiger Woods, got off to a rough start with an opening round 79, but shot a 3-under 69 in the final round to finish in a tie for 42nd place with a 3-over 219.

Among the five Naples-area competitors, former Gulf Coast High School standout and current University of Florida golfer Noah Kent had the best showing. The 20-year-old finished with a 2-over 218 for the tournament, placing him in a tie for 34th. The other local entrants were Spencer Ives (220), Brian Bassett (222), Jack Ryan Donovan (224), and Kaden Latrielle (229).

Contact Sports Reporter Dan DeLuca at ddeluca@usatodayco.com. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Connor Doyal wins Florida amateur event, Charlie Woods ties for 42nd

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Missouri beats South Carolina in game two

Published

20 hours ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Missouri beats South Carolina in game two

Columbia, Mo. — The South Carolina softball team (25-21, 4-13) dropped the second game of its series at Missouri (24-23, 7-10) 5-0 Saturday night (Apr. 18).

Kai Byars led the Gamecocks with a pair of doubles on the night. It was her second multi-hit game of the season and her first game with multiple extra base hits.

The Tigers scored a run in the third inning without the aid of a hit. They would extend the lead and add four more in the fourth.

Carolina’s best opportunity for a run came in third. Byars doubled to lead off the inning and Shae Anderson followed with a bunt single. A double play on a potential sacrifice fly ended the rally.

Emma Friedel (8-4) took the loss, allowing one run on no hits in 3 1-3 innings. She struck out six and walked three.

The rubber game of the series will be tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.

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Former Texas guard Jordan Lee transfers to SEC rival South Carolina

Published

2 days ago

April 17, 2026

Press Room

Former Texas guard Jordan Lee transfers to SEC rival South Carolina

Jordan Lee entered the transfer portal after a breakout season at Texas and the junior guard isn’t going too far. She’s staying in the Southeastern Conference.

Lee announced on Instagram Friday that she’s transferring to South Carolina to play for Dawn Staley after spending the first two years of her collegiate career at Texas under Vic Schaefer. Lee captioned her Instagram post, which featured a video montage of her visit to Columbia, South Carolina, “Feeling cocky.”

Lee was one of four players from Texas to enter the transfer portal after the Longhorns’ second consecutive trip to the Final Four ended in a devastating loss to UCLA. She was named to the All-Region team in the Fort Worth 3 bracket in this year’s NCAA Tournament following her Sweet 16 and Elite Eight performance, where she recorded 22 points, six assists, three rebounds and four steals while also providing strong defense.

After being limited to five starts her freshman year, Lee slid into the starting lineup last season and started a career-high 38 games. She also averaged career highs in points (13.2), assists (2.5), rebounds (2.5), steals (1.5), field-goal percentage (42%) and free-throw percentage (75%), while shooting 34% from 3-point range.

Texas’ Aaliyah Crump, Justice Carlton and Aaliyah Moore also entered the transfer portal. On Friday, Crump announced she’s transferring to Duke, citing her connection with head coach Kara Lawson.

“For me, choosing Duke University goes far beyond one sentence. The moment I connected with Kara Lawson and her coaching staff, I knew I was exactly where I belonged,” said Crump, who averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game her freshman season at Texas.

Crump continued: “Their dedication and vision for the program is truly special, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of it. The connection Coach Lawson and I have built is one of a kind, and I fully trust in her plan for the success of this program. I can’t wait to be coached by genuine people who support my growth not only as a basketball player, but as a person as well.”

Three-time All-American Madison Booker and junior starting forward Breya Cunningham are expected to return to Texas.

Contributing: Mitchell Northam

Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.

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