Death, taxes and Dawn Staley sending Kim Mulkey home with an L. Those are the guarantees in life and Saturday was no different as the Gamecocks went into Baton Rouge and left with a 79-72 victory over the No. 6 Tigers.
For Staley, it was win No. 500 with South Carolina, and for Mulkey, it was the 18th straight time her team came up short against the Gamecocks. It's the sort of stat that makes a miserable human being even more miserable.
South Carolina is the only current SEC school that Kim Mulkey has not beaten since taking the helm at LSU.
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) February 15, 2026
That's 18-straight wins for the Gamecocks over the Tigers. LSU last beat them in 2012.
Medina Okut delivers as Carolina takes down LSU...again
As is usually the case when South Carolina and LSU women meet on the hardwood, it was a battle to the end. And and when the rubber met the road, the Gamecocks needed senior big Medina Okut to step up, and she made a layup off a lob pass from Raven Johnson that gave Carolina 75-72 lead with 25 seconds remaining. Okut would add two free throws in the final seconds to salt the game away.
"She made probably the biggest play of the game when Raven gave her a lob, and she made it. She took her time and made it," Staley said. "I'm truly proud of her, because she's just been through some things this season, and hopefully she can gain some confidence from this win."
500 🗣️ 500 🗣️ 500 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/RUgt1HdPj9
— South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) February 15, 2026
Staley took Okut out of the starting lineup after the Gamecocks lost on the road to Oklahoma. The forward played big minutes coming off the bench, and it looked like it would be a long-term move, but some injuries changed plans and Staley decided it was time for Okut to be a starter again.
The move to the bench was designed for Staley to take some pressure off Okut, but with the knowledge that her confidence needed to be rebuilt going into the tournament. So far the results have been promising. Okut has double-doubles in all three games since returning to the starting lineup and on Saturday, her 12 points and 17 boards proved to be the difference.
Staley took Okut out of the starting lineup after the Gamecocks lost on the road to Oklahoma. The forward played big minutes coming off the bench, and it looked like it would be a long-term move, but some injuries changed plans and Staley decided it was time for Okut to be a starter again.
The move to the bench was designed for Staley to take some pressure off Okut, but with the knowledge that her confidence needed to be rebuilt going into the tournament. So far the results have been promising. Okut has double-doubles in all three games since returning to the starting lineup and on Saturday, her 12 points and 17 boards proved to be the difference.
"Medina has been ramping up ever since we did take the pressure off of her. And then we decided that really she didn't have a choice, she had to get back in the starting lineup," Staley said. "And that's all she needed. I think she made big plays for us."