FORT MYERS, Florida — In a dominant display, No. 4 South Carolina achieved a commanding 76-36 victory over No. 15 Iowa State during the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Thursday.

The Gamecocks, fresh off their first loss in a staggering 43 games against now-No. 1 UCLA, showcased their strength by executing an impressive 32-0 scoring run in the first half, holding the Cyclones without a point for nearly 15 minutes. Joyce Edwards contributed significantly with a double-double, notching 13 points along with 11 rebounds, while Sania Feagin also added 13 points.

For Iowa State, Audi Crooks led the scoring with 13 points and nearly grabbed a double-double with nine rebounds, while Mackenzie Hare scored 12 points in their effort.

South Carolina faced a brief setback after their massive scoring run, missing 13 consecutive attempts, which allowed Iowa State to reduce the deficit to 37-20. However, the Gamecocks quickly regained their rhythm by making seven out of their next eight shots to pull away decisively.

In terms of noteworthy statistics, this game marked a low point for Iowa State, as they hadn’t scored fewer than 36 points since January 14, 2012, in a game against Texas A&M. Additionally, it was the worst showing for an AP top-15 team in terms of scoring since Stanford managed only 36 points in a loss to UCLA in 2016.

South Carolina’s coach, Dawn Staley, expressed pride in her team’s resilience after the loss to UCLA, stating in a post-game interview, “This is a sample of what we can be.”

A pivotal moment in the game occurred when Emily Ryan assisted Audi Crooks for a basket with 6:29 remaining. This marked the 126th consecutive game in which Ryan has recorded at least one assist for Iowa State.

The statistics were heavily tilted in South Carolina’s favor, with nine players scoring in the first half alone while Iowa State managed a mere nine points in total during that period.

Looking ahead, the Fort Myers tournament will continue on Saturday, featuring South Carolina in a matchup against Purdue and Iowa State set to take on Middle Tennessee State.