Raven Johnson Stats Tonight: How did South Carolina star fare vs Tennessee (Jan. 27)

Raven Johnson had a great game on both sides of the floor for No. 2-ranked South Carolina in its 70-63 win against No. 18 Tennessee on Monday at the Food City Center in Knoxville.

The 5-foot-9 junior scored eight of her 10 points in the second half to lift the Gamecocks (20-1, 8-0 in SEC) to a big victory over the gritty Lady Volunteers, who welcomed the return of coach Kim Caldwell barely a week after giving birth.

Johnson made 4 of 6 shots from the field, including 1 of 2 from 3-pointers. She also buried a free throw that made it a three-possession ballgame for South Carolina, halting the furious fourth-quarter rally by Tennessee (15-5, 3-5).

After a two-point first half, Johnson made her presence felt in the third quarter, making a jumper off an offensive rebound that gave the Gamecocks a 37-26 advantage. She helped build that lead to 18 with a 3-pointer at 3:47.

Minutes later, Raven Johnson found Sania Feagin open for a layup, giving South Carolina a 20-point edge in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.

Just as when the Gamecocks were wrapping up the game, Tennessee started a last-ditch rally, bringing down a 61-39 deficit to 69-63. The veteran guard was fouled and made 1 of 2 attempts to hand South Carolina a 70-63 victory.

Johnson's high IQ on defense spelled out the difference for the Gamecocks as she shadowed former Gamecocks guard Talaysia Cooper. She successfully hounded Cooper, limiting the high-scoring guard to 11 points on 5 of 21 shooting.

Here is Raven Johnson's total output in the Gamecocks' big win over Tennessee:

Player	MP	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FG	3-PT	FT	TO	PF
Raven Johnson	28	10	5	1	1	0	4-6	1-2	1-2	0	1

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Gamecocks vs Lady Volunteers Game Recap: Joyce Edwards leads five South Carolina players to victory over the gritty Tennessee

South Carolina saw its 22-point lead evaporate in the fourth but held on to take a seven-point win over Tennessee and widen its lead in the SEC regular season standings. Freshman Joyce Edwards led four other players in double figures, scoring 18 points on 8 of 13 shooting from the field.

MiLaysia Fulwiley contributed 11 points despite playing nine minutes due to foul trouble. Chloe Kitts, Raven Johnson and Te-Hina Paopao added 10 each for the Dawn Staley-coached Gamecocks, who shot 46.0% from the field but committed 17 turnovers that ignited Tennessee's fourth-quarter surge.

South Carolina played to what it is supposed to do — make opponents miss shots — and the Gamecocks did it excellently, limiting the Lady Volunteers to 30.7%, including 11.5% from the 3-point area (3-of-26).

Tennessee, inspired by the return of coach Kim Caldwell, caught fire in the fourth quarter and raced to a 24-8 run. However, the Lady Volunteers' rally was too late and Raven Johnson made the timely free throw that foiled the comeback and handed the defending champions a big win.

South Carolina finished the gauntlet of five Top 25 SEC opponents with a 5-0 record and increased its SEC lead to 1 1/2 games to closest pursuers LSU, Texas and Kentucky. The Gamecocks plunge back to action against Auburn at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia on Sunday.

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