South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards drives to the basket against Maryland in Paris
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The first week of the 2026-27 season is in the books, and the SEC’s ranked teams made it through without a loss. This SEC women’s basketball recap covers the scores, the standouts and the games that mattered most.
Paris sets the tone
The season started in France, and two SEC teams opened it with wins over ranked opponents.
No. 1 South Carolina beat No. 20 Maryland 101-93 on Monday in Paris. The Gamecocks led 61-33 at halftime, helped by a buzzer-beating jumper from Joyce Edwards, who finished with 23 points. Five South Carolina players scored in double figures, and Jerzy Robinson added 15 points and six rebounds.
Maryland’s Addi Mack nearly pulled off a comeback, scoring 35 points, 31 of them in the second half. The Terrapins cut the lead to 89-80 with under five minutes left, but South Carolina hit five free throws in the closing 30 seconds to seal it.
On the same day in Paris, No. 21 Oklahoma beat No. 12 North Carolina 91-79. Sahara Williams scored 13 of her 22 points in the third quarter as the Sooners pulled away.
Standouts
- Madison Booker, Texas: The senior had 24 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals in No. 6 Texas’ 85-65 win over FDU on Wednesday. She is now seven points shy of 2,000 for her career.
- Breya Cunningham, Texas: She added 21 points and 13 rebounds against FDU.
- Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt: She scored 22 of her 24 points in the first half as No. 8 Vanderbilt beat Queens 100-42. The Commodores’ 73 first-half points were a school record.
- Clara Strack, Kentucky: She had 17 points as No. 14 Kentucky beat Morehead State 85-42, and the Wildcats followed that with a 79-28 win over Northern Kentucky, led by Asia Boone’s 21 points.
- Anna Minaeva, LSU: She scored 21 in a 131-22 rout of Texas Southern. No. 9 LSU also beat Southeastern Louisiana 129-35 earlier in the week.
A new coach and a fast start in Tuscaloosa
Alabama’s Pauline Love got her first win as the Crimson Tide’s head coach on Monday, a 92-56 victory over Queens. Alabama then beat LSU New Orleans 118-45 and Alabama A&M 96-43, with Kylie Torrence scoring 18 against Alabama A&M. The Tide are 3-0.
Around the league
- Texas A&M: The Aggies are 2-0 after wins over UAPB and Louisiana. Kailyn Gilbert scored 30 points in her debut. We have a full breakdown in our Texas A&M recap.
- Tennessee and Georgia: Both are 2-0. Tennessee won 98-60 at Coppin State, and Georgia beat Winthrop 75-40.
- Auburn: The Tigers are 2-0 after beating Southern Miss 56-48 and Southeastern Louisiana 92-59.
- Ole Miss: The Rebels are also 2-0.
What it means
The best news for the league is that its top teams look ready. South Carolina handled a ranked opponent in a game with a lot of moving parts. Vanderbilt and LSU have been dominant against weaker opponents, and Texas looks good despite losing much of its roster. The tests are coming, and we cover them in our SEC women’s basketball rankings and schedule preview.
Related: South Carolina vs. Maryland box score | Texas recap | Alabama recap | SEC Sports
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