South Carolina women’s basketball led the nation in points off the bench last year, averaging 40.3 per game.
But things have changed this season for Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley. She had to depend on her starters for offensive production until SEC play, but when starting guard Ta’Niya Latson went down with an ankle sprain on Dec. 28, others had to step up.
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“Our bench has developed over the past couple of weeks,” Staley said after the 93-58 road win over Arkansas on Jan. 8. “We’re seeing it a little bit more now because we have an injury … I think Maddy McDaniel and Agot Makeer are doing a really great job.”
South Carolina next plays Georgia on Jan. 11 (2 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
Reserve guards McDaniel and Makeer missed a combined nine non-conference games but when they eventually returned to the bench to give Staley her full 10, Latson went down. Makeer’s minutes increased when Latson left the game, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Latson is averaging 16.9 points this season, the second most for the No. 3 Gamecocks (16-1, 3-0 SEC).
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Staley started Makeer in place of Latson, and across her first three career SEC games, the freshman is averaging 7.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and two steals in 24 minutes. Against the Razorbacks (11-7, 0-3), she had nine points to go with a team-high three steals.
In the nine non-conference games she played in, missing five to a concussion, Makeer averaged just 6.3 points.
Latson’s absence has shifted most of Staley’s guards around, not just Makeer. McDaniel typically subs in for starting point guard Raven Johnson, but Staley’s played both her point guards together more as of late.
McDaniel’s excelled in her increased minutes off the bench, finishing with a team-high six assists against Arkansas after finishing with five against Florida on Jan. 4.
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“Great job on both sides of the basketball,” Staley said of the two. “Just predictable, you want the people coming off the bench you want to know what they’re going to give.”
McDaniel and Makeer have combined for 39 points the last three games, to go with a combined 26 assists.
An element to the predictability that South Carolina likes to see is feeding the hot hand, which both did for Tessa Johnson and Joyce Edwards against Arkansas. Johnson finished with 19 points on 3-of-4 from the 3-point line, tying her season-high. Edwards finished with 22 points, her 10th 20-point game.
Johnson is shooting 51% from the floor and 48% from the 3-point line, both career-highs for her. Edwards is 60.9% from the floor this season.
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“It’s called just growing up and maturing,” Staley said of the two. “You learn to play good basketball, make good decisions, what’s a good shot or a bad shot … you play the percentages, for us, if you shoot over 50% you can take any kind of shot because more times than not, you take really good shots you can make.”
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
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dawn Staley praises South Carolina guards, bench without Ta’Niya Latson
