Thoughts on adding Ta’Niya Latson, losing Chloe Kitts after 2 South Carolina exhibitions

ATLANTA — South Carolina women’s basketball got two different looks at the 2025-26 team before the season officially begins, learning some good and bad through the two exhibition wins.

The Gamecocks beat UNC 91-82 on Oct. 30, after beating Division II Anderson 112-31 on Oct. 24. There are four new faces two the roster, two from the portal in Ta’Niya Latson and Madina Okot along with two freshmen in Ayla McDowell and Agot Makeer.

Coach Dawn Staley and the No. 2 Gamecocks open the season against Grand Canyon on Nov. 3 (7 p.m. ET) at home, her first real look at her 10 players as South Carolina aims for a fourth national championship.

With two exhibition games in the books and four days until wins and losses matter, here’s what stands out about this South Carolina team so far.

South Carolina has scorers but 3-point shooting still a work in progress

Latson didn’t come to South Carolina to shoot 3-pointers, but she did come after averaging 21 or more points the last three seasons for Florida State. She finished with 19 on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor against UNC, piggybacking off a 14-point night against Anderson.

She is getting more comfortable in South Carolina’s system and her mid-range magic was on display against the Tar Heels.

Latson got help from her fellow starters with sophomore forward Joyce Edwards scoring 27 against Anderson and 12 against UNC. Okot finished with double digits both games (17 and 11) and Tessa Johnson went 7-of-11 from the floor for 19 points against UNC.

The Gamecocks shot 53.1% from the field against Anderson and 50% against UNC but from behind the 3-point line they were 4-of-18 both games (22.2%). It’s an area to work on, especially if teams take away options inside.

South Carolina will need to be a multidimensional offense this season, especially in SEC play.

What Dawn Staley said about 2025-26 South Carolina roster’s chemistry

Staley lost starting forward Chloe Kitts to an ACL tear in the preseason, which put a wrench in her first five’s chemistry. Edwards and Kitts played really well down low last season, something Staley was looking to build off this season.

At times the last two games but against UNC especially, it looked like South Carolina was shooting early in the shot clock or late on a closeout, likely due to some miscommunication.

“This is a totally different basketball team,” Staley said. “We don’t have the continuity, chemistry and flow that we need. It’s a lot better, even than when we played against Anderson.”

Staley said with so many scorers, her players are still learning sometimes making that extra pass “stabs a defense just a little deeper.”

How Chloe Kitts injury is impacting South Carolina

Losing Kitts meant Edwards’ role would get bigger but Staley will need help from everyone. Until game action, it was hard to see where exactly South Carolina would struggle most without her.

It was a quality night from Okot in her debut on Oct. 24 but she found herself in foul trouble early against UNC. That forced some early minutes from Maryam Dauda, who looked more dominant in the paint. She relied on her 3-point shot a lot last year but looks stronger now and attacked the offensive boards especially against UNC.

She had 10 points and five rebounds against UNC.

Adhel Tac is improving, too, but has only scored nine points in 23 minutes across two games. She is 6-foot-5 and if Dauda is giving Edwards rest at the forward spot, Tac will need to score if Okot is in foul trouble.

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