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South Carolina women's basketball: How the Gamecock freshmen stack up

On3 imageby: Chris Wellbaum02/10/26ChrisWellbaum

With just five games left in the regular season, how have South Carolina’s three freshmen performed in their first year?

Agot Makeer

18 games (5 starts), 17.8 mpg, 6.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.1 spg, 0.9 apg, 0.9 bpg, .436 FG%, .225 3PT%

Makeer was the highest-ranked member of the recruiting class, and she has lived up to the hype. She is an outstanding defender, whether she is playing one-on-one or part of a zone. Makeer’s quickness and long arms create lots of turnovers on defense, and she is exceptional at turning defense into offense.

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Makeer is shooting just 22.5% from three, which is disappointing for a player who shot well in the preseason. She has a smooth, confident stroke and takes good shots, so South Carolina can live with the low percentage until the threes start falling.

Makeer has been impactful despite missing eight games due to injuries. It’s not easy for a freshman to deal with the missed practice time, but good things happen when Makeer is on the floor, and her absence has been felt when she misses games. 

Ayla McDowell

25 games (1 start), 16.1 mpg, 5.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.8 spg, .431 FG%, .385 3PT%

McDowell doesn’t have the eye-popping physical traits or exciting potential of her classmates. What she has is consistency on both ends of the court: a solid defender and a reliable three-point shooter.

To be clear, that is a compliment. You need consistent players whom you can count on. McDowell is second on the team in three-point percentage and three-pointers made.

“We know that when we charge her with a task, she’s actually pretty good at just seeing it through,” Dawn Staley said. “We like the fact that she’s predictable when it comes to that. It really helps us when she’s able to make shots.”

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Alicia Tournebize

8 games, 12.9 mpg, 4.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg, .467 FG%, 4-5 3PT

Tournebize was the Gamecocks’ Christmas present. She committed on December 22 and joined the team on January 1. Since joining the team, Tournebize has made remarkable strides.

She is getting comfortable with the American college game and her teammates. In her first few games, South Carolina gave her a very limited playbook. Tournebize wasn’t asked to do much besides be tall and use her fouls.

“She’s such a great person. We love having her. She’s a hard worker. She gets work in before and after practice. She’s such a good teammate, and I’m happy to see everything flourish on the court for her.”

The extra work has paid off. Now the Gamecocks are running plays for her, and Tournebize is impactful on both sides of the ball. She has also fit right in with her new teammates. There is no jealousy over the new kid. 

“She’s my girl. I love her so much,” Madina Okot said. “We’ve been working after practice and before practice, putting in extra work. I’m so happy to see it’s showing up. I just encourage her to keep going and encourage her to get some work in the weight room to get stronger.”

Compare Tournebize’s first career three-pointer with her shots from the most recent game. Against Oklahoma, in only her third game, she was hesitant and didn’t shoot with confidence. The shot almost seemed like an accident.

Two weeks later, Tournebize is moving confidently to her spots, calling for the ball when she is open, and shooting with a surprisingly smooth motion for a 6-7 player.

Tournebize was already a mismatch just because she is 6-7, but becoming a three-point threat just isn’t fair.

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