Injuries continue to pile up for South Carolina. For a team known for its depth, Dawn Staley’s side has often been limited to an eight-player rotation. That problem grew even more concerning earlier this week when Ta’Niya Latson rolled her ankle during the second quarter against Providence.

Videos of Ta’Niya Latson limping off the court spread quickly. And with last season’s national scoring leader down, there were immediate concerns regarding the long-term health of the already thin Gamecocks roster. However, Dawn Staley has since offered an update, and it brings some much-needed optimism.

“I mean, she’s day to day. It’s a sprain. It’s her pain tolerance,” Dawn Staley said after the win against Alabama Crimson Tide in the postgame press conference. “It’s the ankle that she rolled earlier this season, and it just got irritated again.”

Before being ruled out against the Alabama Crimson Tide, Ta’Niya Latson was averaging 16.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4 assists this season. With ankle sprains often tricky to predict, Dawn Staley has remained cautious, offering no firm timetable and describing Latson as day-to-day for the second consecutive day.

It goes without saying that Dawn Staley would much rather have Ta’Niya Latson on the floor than on the sideline. But with March just three months away, player safety will always take priority. For now, the Gamecocks may have to adjust and make do with the pieces they have as they navigate this stretch of the season.

Despite missing Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina opened SEC play with a strong win over Alabama. In her absence, freshman Agot Makeer earned her first career start. Coming off a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds against Providence before Latson’s injury, Makeer followed it up with nine points in 20 minutes.

Dawn Staley’s side dominated Alabama from start to finish, shooting 50 percent, winning the rebounding battle by 13, and forcing 10 turnovers in an 83–57 win. Joyce Edwards finished with 25 points as the Crimson Tide suffered its first loss of the year.

But bench production remains a concern.

Dawn Staley Has One Problem to Address

This isn’t last year’s roster, where Dawn Staley could turn to Tessa Johnson for Te-Hina Paopao or bring Joyce Edwards off the bench to change the flow of a game. Both Johnson and Edwards are starters now, and the bench production has been far from reliable.

South Carolina’s bench has gone from a weapon to a weakness. After leading the country at 40.3 points per game last season, the Gamecocks are now averaging 18.1 points, ranking 235th, according to the Greenville News. That shift has placed a heavier offensive burden on the starters, marking the first time since the 2020–21 season that they also account for the team’s top five scorers.

Even with Dawn Staley using a five-player bench rotation, those minutes produced just 11 points. For a program that finished first or second nationally in bench scoring in each of the last three seasons, this feels like unfamiliar territory. The lack of quality options after losing Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins was already a concern, and now with Ta’Niya Latson injured as well, Staley knows she has a major problem to solve.

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Luckily for Dawn Staley, help is on the way. Alicia Tournebize, the 6-foot-7 French center, is expected to make her debut against the Florida Gators on January 4. Her arrival could significantly change how the South Carolina Gamecocks’ bench functions moving forward. With Ta’Niya Latson sidelined, the timing could not be better as South Carolina looks for stability heading toward March.