Edwards Powers No. 3 South Carolina Past Texas A&M.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Joyce Edwards poured in 28 points as No. 3 South Carolina pulled away late to defeat Texas A&M 71–56 on Monday night. Tessa Johnson added 19 points for the Gamecocks, knocking down five three-pointers to match her career high.

South Carolina (22–2, 8–1 SEC) built a lead as large as 16 points, but Texas A&M trimmed the margin to five early in the fourth quarter. Edwards quickly shut the door, scoring eight points during a decisive 9–0 run that stretched the lead to 67–53 with under two minutes remaining.

Johnson was red-hot from beyond the arc in the first half, making all five of her three-point attempts before halftime. She finished the game 5-for-11 from long distance. Despite struggling to score early in the fourth quarter, the Gamecocks capitalized on free throws and timely baskets to regain control. Texas A&M (8–10, 1–8 SEC) endured a rough shooting stretch in the final period, missing its first 10 field-goal attempts. Janae Kent finally ended the drought with a three-pointer in the closing 90 seconds. Ny’ceara Pryor led the Aggies with 14 points and hit multiple key shots during a late third-quarter surge.

The Aggies showed improvement compared to recent outings, having lost four of their previous five games by margins of at least 25 points. Still, South Carolina’s depth and late-game execution proved too much to overcome. South Carolina will return home to face Mississippi State on Thursday night, while Texas A&M remains at home to host No. 21 Alabama on Sunday.