Dawn Staley claps back at Raven Johnson critics after South Carolina reaches Final Four: "Gets the brunt from a lot of social media"

Raven Johnson might not have the impressive stats of college basketball’s top players. But what she has is a knack for making plays in the biggest moments for the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The junior guard has been the target of some criticism, especially in social media. However, coach Dawn Staley has her back, and that was clear once again after South Carolina’s 54-50 victory over the Duke Blue Devils in the Elite Eight this Sunday.

“Raven gets the brunt of a lot of social media think pieces, right? Whoever is doing them really has to do a little bit more research. Don’t look at her stats, they are not staggering. But look at the amount of championships, look at how many big games she’s been a part of and played a vital role,” Dawn Staley told WACH Fox after the game (0:47).

Despite the nay-sayers, the junior is second in assists and steals for the Gamecocks, with 2.9 and 1.4. She has also been a contributor for a couple of championship teams in Columbia, averaging five points and 4.3 rebounds per game this season.

Against the Blue Devils, Raven Johnson finished with seven points, five rebounds, an assist and three steals. Two of those rebounds came in the final 2:10, giving the Lady Gamecocks the ball with the game in the balance.

Last year, Johnson scored a vital 3-pointer in the Sweet 16 to beat the Indiana Hoosiers 79-75. Johnson’s big shot came after the Hoosiers had closed the gap to only a couple of points after being down by 22.

Raven Johnson and South Carolina faces the winner of the Texas vs. TCU regional final for a spot in the National Championship game.

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Raven Johnson believes the Gamecocks learned from their losses

If there's one thing that doesn’t happen often for the South Carolina Lady Gamecocks that’s losing basketball games. But after going undefeated last season, South Carolina has struggled at times this season, losing three games and battling to win others.

For guard Raven Johnson, it has been thanks to those losses that the Lady Gamecocks arrived to the NCAA Tournament playing their best basketball. She explained as much in an interview with WACH Fox after the win over Duke on Sunday.

“I actually think we spoiled them (the fans) last year. That undefeated season, they expect that to happen this year but it’s a whole new team. Sometimes you need to lose games to get back right or to find yourself again and I think we lost at the right time because we definitely, we found ourselves. I think we learned a lot of lessons through those losses,” Raven Johnson said.

While three losses aren't a lot, they are their most in a season since 2020-21. In fact, it equals their cumulative losing total from the previous three seasons.

Johnson and the Gamecocks are looking to become the first team to win consecutive national titles since UConn won four straight between 2013 and 2016.