South Carolina shook off a slow start and rode dominant performances from Madina Okot and Joyce Edwards to an 81-66 win over Duke on day one of the Players Era Championship.

The Gamecocks (6-0) were down 15-7 late in the first quarter and struggled to establish any rhythm in the paint. Duke, meanwhile, opened shooting nearly 50% and briefly controlled the tempo. But South Carolina closed the quarter on a 7-0 run, then broke the game open with a decisive 17-0 surge spanning halftime.

From there, the frontcourt took over.

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Okot and Edwards Control the Game

Okot tied her career-high with 23 points and added 13 rebounds, four steals, and two blocks. Her energy in transition jump-started the offense after t

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