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Why Tessa Johnson’s first South Carolina double-double meant so much to junior guard

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Why Tessa Johnson’s first South Carolina double-double meant so much to junior guard


COLUMBIA — Tessa Johnson giggled before she said, “This is going to sound very bad.

“But I’ve been trying to rebound this season, it just sometimes doesn’t work out for me and today it did.”

Johnson had first career double-double for South Carolina women’s basketball and found herself fielding questions about rebounding, a uncommon topic for the shooting guard.

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She scored 14 points with her career-high 10 rebounds in the 103-34 victory over No. 16 seed Southern in the March Madness first-round game on March 21 in Colonial Life Arena.

It wasn’t that the junior guard woke up on the morning of her third Women’s NCAA Tournament opener and decided to start rebounding. But with a recent shooting slump, she was intentional about helping her team in other ways.

“I just wanted to do more than just scoring out there,” Johnson said. “I feel like I can do a little bit more out there and really wanted to focus on rebounding this game.”

Coach Dawn Staley’s top-seeded Gamecocks (32-3) will now play either No. 8 Clemson or No. 9 Southern Cal after Johnson’s contributions helped push them to the second round.

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Johnson’s height at 6-feet does occasionally give her an advantage against some guards but given how frequently South Carolina runs in transition, it’s normally Johnson sprinting down the court instead of crashing the boards.

She leads the SEC in 3-point shooting at 44.1%, which is 10th in the nation.

Her signature spot-up shooting was highlighted on a grander scale in the 79-72 win over LSU on Feb. 14, when she started 4-of-5 in the first half, forcing Tigers coach Kim Mulkey to scream “Who can guard Tessa” at her team.

Johnson then went 10-of-34 across the next six games (29%).

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To start the game against the Jaguars (20-14) it looked like Johnson hadn’t quite shaken off the slump, starting 0-of-2 from the 3-point line. She went to the locker room in the first quarter and returned three minutes later after taping two of her fingers.

She hit two 3-pointers in the third quarter and two in the fourth.

“Good I mean, there was like a cover on the hoop for everyone in the first half,” said Johnson when asked how breaking out of the 3-point slump felt. “The second half we picked it up defensively and I think that just helped us offensively.”

By halftime she was only three shy of tying her career-high in rebounds with seven, but grabbed four in the third quarter

“I wasn’t thinking about a double-double until I realized I was at eight points, eight rebounds but I really was just looking at my rebounding,” said Johnson, who is averaging a career-high 3.3. “I don’t rebound very well but now I’m getting up there.”

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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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ICYMI: South Carolina Adds Several 2027 Targets During Huge Recruiting Week

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ICYMI: South Carolina Adds Several 2027 Targets During Huge Recruiting Week


Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks had a nice last seven days on the recruiting ground as they have landed three players and in the top five of some elite talent. Here’s everything you missed recruiting wise from last week and an updated look at the Gamecocks’ 2027 class.

Judah Lancaster, the team’s most recent commit, is a 6-foot-5 and 230+ pound tight end from Brentwood Academy in Brentwood, Tennessee. His weight and frame are the type of build power four teams covet. Having a great tight end can create mismatches for modern college football offenses. Should Lancaster become that level of player, future Gamecock quarterbacks should be excited for the weapon at their disposal.

South Carolina found its highest rated recruit of the 2027 class so far in the form of big 314 pound defensive lineman John Archer. The top ten player in the state of North Carolina is a “disruptive” interior force on a defensive line. Archer has the potential to be a star at the next level given the right situation. Should he reach his potential in Columbia, the Gamecocks would have a force along the interior of their defense that could help them with a playoff push.

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DJ Huggins is a 5-foot-10 and 165 pound wide out from Kennesaw, Georgia. The Harrison High School star held offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Boston College, Georgia, and others before ultimately choosing South Carolina.

South Carolina’s 2027 Class

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Sep 27, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer leads his team onto the field during the Gamecocks 2001 entrance before their game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

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Archer, Huggins, and Lancaster join a class that features safety Jernard Albright, quarterback Jerry Meyer III, and offensive lineman Will Endicott. A class that was ranked outside the top 60 just a few days ago, is now squarely inside the top 40. Shane Beamer and his team aren’t nearly finished with this class and will be looking to find themselves once again inside the top 25 recruiting rankings when this cycle finishes.

The South Carolina coaching staff has their eyes set on a few key targets as the summer recruiting period picks up. Four-star running backs David “Tre” Segarra and Brayden Tyson, four-star safety Jayden Aparicio-Bailey, and four-star edge rusher James Pace III all listed the Gamecocks among their final five schools for this cycle.

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Former South Carolina wing, Lexington native, lands at new program via transfer portal

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Former South Carolina wing, Lexington native, lands at new program via transfer portal


Former Gamecock basketball wing Cam Scott has found a new home. Following a second offseason in which the Lexington, South Carolina native entered the transfer portal, the Temple Owls have announced that Scott has signed with the program.

A former five-star prospect (though he was a four-star by the time he signed), Scott’s South Carolina basketball career did not go the way many envisioned when he flipped from the Texas Longhorns in the class of 2024.

During his high school days, Scott was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in the Palmetto State. He also set numerous records at Lexington High School. He signed with Texas before eventually winding up with the Gamecocks.

Scott then spent two years in garnet and black. As a freshman, he struggled mightily, averaging 2.5 points while shooting 27.8% from the field and 17.8% from 3-point range. After entering and withdrawing from the transfer portal, he returned to USC for a second season. However, Scott never played again, choosing to redshirt the 2025-2026 campaign.

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Because of the redshirt, Scott will have three years left to play at Temple.

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina basketball!

Scott joins six former teammates in finding new homes via the transfer portal. All seven of South Carolina’s transfers this cycle have dropped down to mid-major programs.

Forward EJ Walker (Western Kentucky), forward Jordan Butler (Furman), forward Elijah Strong (St. Louis), post player Christ Essandoko (Bowling Green), guard Eli Ellis (Charlotte), and wing Abu Yarmah (Longwood) have all revealed commitments this transfer cycle.

Following another tough season in Columbia, South Carolina will have a very different roster next year. With five graduates and seven transfer portal defections (plus multiple staff changes), the Gamecocks nearly experienced complete turnover.

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So far, six players have pledged their services to Lamont Paris’ team out of the transfer portal. Kory Mincy (George Mason), Camden Heide (Texas), Aleksas Bieliauskas (Wisconsin), Shane Blakeney (Drexel), Jakub Necas (Duquesne), and Davion Hannah (Alabama) have committed as of the time of this writing.



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LSU completes sweep of South Carolina, 7-0

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LSU completes sweep of South Carolina, 7-0


BATON ROUGE, LA (USC SID) – The University of South Carolina baseball team fell to LSU, 7-0, Sunday afternoon (May 3) at Alex Box Stadium.

Omar Serna gave LSU a 2-0 lead in the third with a home run to left. Cade Arrambide’s sacrifice fly put the Tigers up 3-0 in the fifth. Tanner Reaves’ RBI single gave LSU a 4-0 lead but Ethan Lizama’s throw to the plate was called interference by Derek Curiel, holding the Tigers to one run.

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LSU scored a pair of runs in the sixth and added on in the seventh to make it 7-0.

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KJ Scobey had two of Carolina’s five hits in the contest. Alex Valentin took the loss, allowing three runs on four hits in four innings with six strikeouts.

POSTGAME NOTES

  • Josh Gregoire came in to pitch in his hometown of Baton Rouge. He pitched 1.1 innings and allowed a hit with no runs.

  • Carolina had three errors on the day.

  • Carolina played in Baton Rouge for the first time since 2011.

UP NEXT

Carolina will take the midweek off for final exams and return to action on Friday afternoon (May 8) against Alabama. The game will start at 5:30 p.m. and will be televised on SEC Network.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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