South Carolina Runs Riot as Jerzy Robinson’s Happy Accident Helps Gamecocks Limit Maryland’s Comeback in Season Opener in Paris

Maryland cut the lead to six points with 42 seconds left, forcing South Carolina to survive a furious fourth-quarter rally. Head coach Dawn Staley was excited for the season-opening challenge against one of the top 25 teams in the country. For her, the matchup could help her measure how good her team was at the start of the season.

The South Carolina Gamecocks opened their season in line with their No. 1 status, beating No. 20 Maryland by just 8 points (101-93) after a big lead in the first half. If Staley was looking for a good challenger to test her team, Maryland gave her team a good reality check.

In a video message, Dawn Staley told her players to “trust the process,” and the Gamecocks started the game with absolute dominance at Adidas Arena in Paris, France. They entered the season as the top-ranked team for the fifth time in the last seven seasons. However, Maryland’s offensive assault on the offensive end left big questions for them.

By halftime, the Gamecocks had taken a 28-point lead after an 8-0 run in the last 1:44 minutes, taking their largest so far, behind Agot Makeer’s 15 points. The Terrapins looked nowhere near to challenge South Carolina’s assault. In the first twenty minutes, three Gamecocks had scored in double digits compared to Maryland’s one. 

But Maryland responded in the third period behind Addi Mack, who had finished with just 4 points in the first two periods. She scored 17 of her team’s 26 points in the third quarter, and as much as the entire South Carolina team. Maryland outscored the Gamecocks 26-17 in the third period, cutting the lead to 19 points. 

However, in the next 10 minutes, there were multiple occasions when it seemed like the expected outcome would flip. Maryland continued their offensive assault, opening the fourth period with a 4-0 lead. They had cut the lead to just 12 points after five minutes in the quarter. 

Jordyn Jackson cut the lead to nine points with her 3-pointer with just under five minutes remaining on the game clock. The Terrapins had gone for a 21-11 run, and Staley had to call the timeout. The Gamecocks responded after the timeout and went on a 7-0 run, which would eventually save them from the upset. 

Maryland went on a 10-0 run, and Trinity Jones cut the lead to six points with 42 seconds remaining in the game. But the Gamecocks saved their lead with five free throws in the last 30 seconds to limit Maryland’s comeback. Three of them were from freshman Jerzy Robinson.

Jerzy Robinson makes an accidental 3-pointer

Luck chases talent, and it is exactly what happened to five-star recruit Jerzy Robinson. Dawn Staley put Robinson in with just over six minutes remaining in the first quarter. After five minutes, she opened her college basketball account with a layup. However, the next basket from her became an instant hit on social media. 

 With 25 seconds remaining in the opening quarter, Robinson threw a lob pass to Alicia Tournebize, who had successfully cut toward the basket. However, the ball went directly into the basket, and the Gamecocks’ freshman was credited with her first 3-pointer. 

She finished the game with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 5-of-10 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.

Joyce Edwards led the Gamecocks with 23 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. She converted 10 of her 19 shots. Agot Makeer, Jordan Lee and Tessa Johnson added 20, 13, and 15 points respectively. Chloe Kitts, who has returned from her injury, scored 8 points in 19 minutes.

Addi Mack leads Mayland’s comeback with career-high

While Mayland dropped their season-opener, they still came out with something to be happy about. Addi Mack, the sophomore, dropped 35 points against the No. 1 team in the country, putting other teams on notice.

In 33 minutes in the season-opener, she showed off her crafty handles, improved deep shooting and excellent footwork, unless you are discounting the behind-the-back pass.

Mack scored her 35 points on 14-of-20 shots from the field and 6-of-10 from deep. She scored her last 31 points in the last two quarters. The Maryland guard added 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. 

All the Maryland starters scored in double digits. Nunu Agara added 12 points. Trinity Jones, Oluchi Okananwa and Bri McDaniel scored 11 points each.

Gamecocks feature two French players in 2026 Oui Play

Nearly a year ago, in light of the Oui Play event, Dawn Staley expressed her desire to have a French player on her roster. A week ago, the Gamecocks reached Paris for the 2026 Oui Play event and had not one, but two French players on the roster, and they had two personal tour guides to show around Paris.

While neither of the two players is from Paris, for Justine Loubens, who is from L’Isle-Jourdain, and Alicia Tournebize, who is from Vichy, the season-opener against Maryland was nothing less than a home game.

“It’s pretty cool because it means my first American game is gonna be in France,” Loubens said. “I’m gonna be home, so it’s a first approach, like to be ready to play and show everything.”

Perhaps, playing college basketball in her home country in front of her home crowd meant something way more than marking a big day in her career. It was a proud moment for her to play in front of her family and friends. 

“We talk the same basketball, but sometimes French and American basketball are different,” Loubens said. “So I want to show a unique basketball…I want to [show] a different [style] of basketball than usual, then American usual. But I’m always keeping the same mindset and stuff. But I want to play my basketball first.”

Tournebize went scoreless in three minutes of action against Maryland. Loubens didn’t appear in the game.

For Staley, it was an opportunity for her team to show women in other countries that they can come to America, watch basketball, get educated in the US, and even join basketball teams and make a career in sport. Staley is looking for another “Frenchie.”

The Gamecocks will now face North Carolina on the road on Nov. 8.

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