Next time South Carolina women’s basketball takes the court, it will count for real.

The defending national champions played their final tune-up game prior to the 2024-25 season on Monday night, beating Division II opposition Clayton State 126-42 at Colonial Life Arena. Of course there was a gulf in talent, and not a ton to actually take away in terms of the competition or the pace of the game, but a few trends emerged for Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks.

The freshman is here, and looks spectacular.

After posting a first-half double-double in the exhibition win at Memphis, the five-star from Camden, S.C. made her unofficial Colonial Life Arena debut and took it to another level. Edwards finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, getting to the basket whenever she wanted and making her presence felt defensively.

“I felt really nervous,” Edwards said about playing in Columbia for the first time. “I was a little extra nervous, but once I watched the game on the bench, I kind of settled down.”

Her fluidity is another potential asset for this team as it still tries to find the best version of itself. She looks comfortable everywhere, and capable of playing with anyone else. Staley even hinted at her ability to be positionless, something which showed up a little bit on Monday night.

“She’s not a player that should blend in with others,” Staley said. “She’s a player that is a big playmaker, she’s a small playmaker. She’s someone that’s super versatile, you could play her at any given position. We put her at point out there in the fourth quarter.”

Sophomore guard Tessa Johnson started slow, missing all four first quarter field goal attempts. But as she is prone to do, she heated up fast. Johnson went on a personal 8-0 run in the second quarter and finished the game with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists.

“I was feeling good before the game,” Johnson said. “I just kept shooting, and I finally got the lid off.”

More so than any individual stats or even the final score of an exhibition game, it is an opportunity to work with some lineup combinations and try some things. In this case, Johnson played extensive action in both halves in a three-guard lineup along with Raven Johnson and MiLaysia Fulwiley. It was a look Staley used a little bit last season, but could become a staple of the rotation this year.

“I just like the speed of it, the skill of it, the ability to defend,” Staley said. “I just like that lineup because they’re unselfish, they look for each other. You’ve got somebody like Fulwiley who can get to the basket and create for other people, you’ve got floor spacers out there, and I like the way they play together just on both sides of the basketball.”

The freshman center still working back from a torn ACL saw her minutes tick up from seven against Memphis to almost 13 against Clayton State, and she was efficient in her action. Tac scored 13 points on just five shot attempts, shooting 3-of-5 from the floor.

But her biggest asset, the one so rare for anyone but especially a freshman coming off a major injury, was physicality. Tac forced her way to the free throw line on five separate occasions, knocking down seven of the 10 total free throws.

On a night where depth center Sakima Walker did not play, Tac was able to get a little bit more run-out than usual. There is a long way to go on both ends of the floor, but the physicality and body control to draw fouls was a positive sign for the freshman.

Speaking of Walker, her injury situation has a day-to-day status.

“She should be ready to go,” Staley said about Walker playing in the season-opener next Monday

Freshman guard Maddy McDaniel also did not play on Monday night, and her status is still up in the air for next week.

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