For most programs, a season-opening win over a top-20 program would be cause for celebration, but for South Carolina women’s basketball it was more of a learning opportunity.

The No. 1 Gamecocks beat No. 17 Maryland on Nov. 2 in Paris, France, to open their 2026-27 season. Although the game was on track to be a blowout, with South Carolina leading by 31 points at the 9:34 mark in the third quarter, it ended up being a tight 101-93 finish.

“You don’t want to be on the other end of building a 31-point lead and then have them come all the way back to make it a two-possession game,” coach Dawn Staley said. “But it also puts you in a position where you can learn. … It’s a great learning lesson. It’s great, again, exposures to the things that we need to work on and get better at.”

Staley's main takeaway was figuring out how to get her team to maintain its standard of play for a full game. The Gamecocks held a 28-point lead at halftime but were outscored 60-40 in the second half.

This exposed to Staley her team's lack of mental toughness. She believes her team "lost our competitive spirit" in the third quarter, particularly on the defensive end, where they allowed the Terrapins to shoot 52.5% from the floor and 60% from the 3-point line in the second half.

“I thought physically, we probably were a little tired, but when you’re physically tired, the mental piece has to kick in,” Staley said. “So I don’t think we created enough habits when we’re tired for us to actually lock in. … We’re going to have to figure out how to play a 40-minute game every time we step on the floor, and there are things that we have to challenge them with, with growing and strengthening their mental toughness.”

Although the Gamecocks' struggled overall to contain Maryland's offense in the second half, it was Addi Mack who gave them the most trouble.

She finished with 35 points, 31 of which she scored in the second half. In the second half, she shot 12-for-14 from the floor and 6-for-8 on 3-pointers.

“We need to be better and be more disciplined,” said South Carolina forward Chloe Kitts, who played in her first game since the 2024-25 season after tearing an ACL last October. “I know it’s the first game of the season … but just being aware. They kept getting threes, so we didn’t take it away.”

What Dawn Staley liked in South Carolina win vs Maryland

Staley did recognize several positive takeaways, like sophomore Agot Makeer's career-high 20 points, playing “like she’s in midseason form.”

She also acknowledged the contributions of freshman guard Jerzy Robinson as a primary ballhandler who warranted her presence on the floor in the game’s final minutes. She also noted that freshman forward Justine Loubens, who is from France, is “moving up the depth chart” due to her reliability and composure.

"These games are for exposing us to things that we need to get better at and also expose us to things that we are good at," Staley said. "And it was the first game in which this team has taken the floor. We found out practice is a lot different than actually in the game."

South Carolina next plays No. 11 North Carolina in Charlotte on Nov. 8 (4:30 p.m., ESPN).