Raven Johnson Recruited BFF Ta’Niya Latson and South Carolina Is Reaping the Benefits

In her first Sweet 16 game on Saturday, Latson led all scores with 28 points and showed just how dynamic the Gamecocks are this year.

Raven Johnson (right) convinced her former high school teammate Ta'Niya Latson spend her college season with the Gamecocks. | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

SACRAMENTO — Raven Johnson and Ta’Niya Latson won three state championships together in high school. So when Latson decided last spring that she would leave Florida State, where she played the first three years of her college basketball career and led the nation in scoring, Johnson made the obvious pitch: Come play at South Carolina with me, and maybe we can win an NCAA title together, too. There was no better display of that potential than what the pair did on Saturday. 

No. 1 seed South Carolina easily downed No. 4 Oklahoma in the Sweet 16 by a score of 94–68. This one was functionally over by the second quarter: The Gamecocks never trailed and hit the locker room at the half up by 19. It’s a sort of dominance that has become standard in the NCAA tournament for South Carolina, now in its sixth consecutive Elite Eight, all six of which saw the program advance to the Final Four. But this particular win looked slightly different from the usual for the Gamecocks.

It was more or less entirely powered by strong guard play. The pairing of Johnson and Latson drove this win from start to finish. Johnson scored 18 points in an efficient 25 minutes. Latson, playing in her first Sweet 16, led all scorers with 28. The Gamecocks did not get as much production as usual from their powers in the paint. But their guards were so good that it hardly mattered.

UH OHHHHHHHHHHH 🔥

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— South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) March 28, 2026

This is exactly what Johnson hoped for Latson when she sold her on coming to South Carolina. And it was the clearest look so far this year at what it means for them to be at their best at the same time. It was Johnson’s and Latson’s highest combined scoring total in Gamecocks uniforms

“Being on the sideline, being next to her, even in practice it’s just, like, Dang, I’m playing with my best friend from high school,” Latson said. “We cherish the moments that we have on the floor and we hope to win a championship together. It’s just a blessing to be together in our last year.”

On paper, at least, Latson regularly had these kinds of performances at Florida State. Dropping 28 points was nothing exceptional: She averaged more than 25. In her final game for the Seminoles last season, aiming for what could have been her first trip to the Sweet 16, she scored a cool 30. Florida State lost in a blowout anyway. That was part of why she transferred. Latson wanted to win. The other part was that she wanted to do more than score. Looking ahead to the WNBA draft, Latson wanted to develop the rest of her game, and she wanted to play in an offense where she would be an important option but not the option. Which meant that against Oklahoma on Friday, Latson scored just as much as she might have at Florida State, but she also did far more. 

She created her own shot when she wanted to and not because she had to. Latson facilitated: The senior led South Carolina with five assists. She played far more robust defense than she could have a year ago. And she did it alongside a teammate who cared so much about her success that it felt like her own. 

Latson led all scorers in South Carolina’s win over Oklahoma on Saturday. | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

“I was like, ‘I feel like I did that,’ ” Johnson said about watching Latson. “I’m so happy. When I see the ball go in for her, I’m like, Yes, my eyes get big.” 

Two of South Carolina’s usual leading scorers are the post combination of Joyce Edwards and Madina Okot. But they were not able to get their usual offensive production in the paint against Oklahoma. The pair had scored just three points combined at halftime. (Edwards, who averages 19.9 ppg, had been held scoreless at that point.) Yet it hardly registered, because Latson and Johnson already had 18 and 16, respectively. 

Of course, South Carolina would prefer to have that production spread around more evenly. “I’d like for us to be a little bit better at putting the ball in the paint and scoring,” Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said. “We’re used to having a dominant post that can alleviate some of the pressures that are happening.” They’re very used to that indeed: Each of Staley’s championship rosters at South Carolina has been powered by a strong frontcourt, headlined by A’ja Wilson in 2017, Aliyah Boston in ’22 and Kamilla Cardoso in ’24. (All three were named Most Outstanding Player.) This roster offers its own version of that dynamic, even if it was not obvious Saturday, and it would not be especially surprising if that list of championship frontcourt players eventually included Edwards. 

But there are plenty of choices here. This is the highest scoring offense that Staley has ever run at South Carolina. The pool of guards is at once deeper, more talented and more experienced than has previously been the case for this team. (The group also includes Tessa “Tournament Tessa” Johnson—a junior who has capably slid into the starting lineup this year after being a key bench piece in the last two tournament trips.) And on Saturday, Johnson and Latson showed that there's freedom in having choices. But there’s also something nice in not having to choose and doing it together.    

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