What we learned about Tessa Johnson, Justine Loubens in South Carolina exhibition

CHARLESTON — South Carolina’s first exhibition game was never going to provide a perfect picture of what the 2026-27 Gamecocks will become.

There were too many missing pieces.

Only nine South Carolina players were available when the Gamecocks opened the season against College of Charleston on Sept. 27 at Credit One Stadium.

Ayla McDowell also left after taking a hit to the face, leaving South Carolina with eight players for the remainder of the game.

That forced Dawn Staley to experiment.

The Gamecocks still pulled away for a 91-60 victory, but the more interesting part of the afternoon was what the unusual circumstances revealed about several players who could become important pieces of the new roster.

Joyce Edwards led South Carolina with 28 points and 16 rebounds.

Tessa Johnson added 23 points.

Jordan Lee scored 15 and made all four of her 3-point attempts.

Agot Makeer added 12 points.

But the numbers only tell part of the story.

Here are five things the exhibition revealed about South Carolina.

Tessa Johnson may have a bigger role than simply being a scorer

Johnson entered the season as one of the most important returning pieces on the roster.

She averaged 12.8 points per game last season while shooting 44.8% from 3-point range, earning second-team All-SEC recognition.

Against Charleston, she showed why her role could expand beyond simply finding shots on the wing.

Johnson finished with 23 points and was involved in initiating the offense.

That matters because South Carolina lost Maddy McDaniel during the offseason, leaving Staley to approach the point guard position differently.

Staley has already indicated that the position will be handled by committee.

Johnson looked comfortable taking some of those responsibilities.

She was vocal throughout the game and helped organize South Carolina’s offense while still looking for opportunities to score.

That combination could become particularly valuable as the Gamecocks continue adjusting to a roster with several new pieces.

Last season, Johnson was already an efficient perimeter scorer.

She shot 46.9% from the field and 44.8% from 3-point range in 2025-26.

The early evidence from Charleston suggests South Carolina may also ask her to help control the game.

Justine Loubens showed why versatility can matter more than scoring

Loubens did not have a big scoring night.

She finished with two points.

That number, however, doesn’t explain why her performance was encouraging.

The French freshman was recruited primarily as a perimeter shooter, but injuries and unavailable players forced Staley into unusual combinations.

At 6-foot-2, Loubens was asked to spend time defending and playing in the post.

That was new territory.

Staley said Loubens had never played in the post for South Carolina and had never had to defend that position for the team.

She still handled the assignment well enough for Staley to praise her for being solid, responsible and smart.

That could be more important than the two points she scored.

South Carolina will have plenty of players capable of scoring.

The more difficult thing to find on a roster this deep is a player who can adapt when the lineup changes.

Loubens showed she may have that ability.

Jordan Lee gave South Carolina another perimeter problem for defenses

Lee arrived from Texas after averaging 13.2 points per game during the 2025-26 season.

She showed immediately why Staley wants her to be more aggressive.

Lee finished with 15 points and went 4-for-4 from 3-point range.

Staley also said she wants Lee to put the ball on the floor more and look to score instead of passing out of situations where she has an opportunity to attack.

That is an important distinction.

Lee does not have to become South Carolina’s primary scorer.

She may be more dangerous if defenses cannot determine whether she is going to shoot, drive or feed the post.

Her chemistry with Joyce Edwards was particularly interesting.

South Carolina was able to use high-low actions involving the two players, creating situations where helping on one could leave the other available.

That combination could become increasingly difficult to defend once South Carolina has more of its roster available.

Brooke Quarles-Daniels could help replace some of what South Carolina lost defensively

One of the biggest questions entering the season was how South Carolina would replace the defensive presence associated with Raven Johnson.

The Charleston exhibition offered an early clue.

Brooke Quarles-Daniels stood out defensively while also helping handle point guard duties.

That is significant because the fifth-year transfer arrived from Michigan with experience playing against high-level competition.

She does not need to replicate Johnson’s game to be valuable.

South Carolina simply needs another guard who can pressure the ball, defend without constant help and allow Staley to experiment with different combinations.

A lineup featuring Quarles-Daniels alongside Lee and Agot Makeer could give South Carolina considerable defensive flexibility.

It also gives Staley another way to change the look of the team without sacrificing perimeter defense.

The exhibition revealed more about South Carolina’s depth than its final rotation

Perhaps the biggest lesson from Charleston was that nobody should read too much into the opening rotation.

Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins did not play.

Alicia Tournebize, Kelsi Andrews, Kaeli Wynn and Jerzy Robinson were also unavailable.

McDowell then left during the game.

That meant Staley had to use combinations that may never appear in a regular-season game.

She acknowledged that South Carolina played some “funky lineups” because of the limited number of available players.

The unusual rotations did provide something useful, though.

They gave players opportunities they might not normally receive.

Loubens played inside.

Oliviyah Edwards received extended minutes and finished with five points and five rebounds.

Quarles-Daniels took on more responsibility.

Johnson handled more of the ball.

Lee had the freedom to shoot.

Those situations are difficult to recreate in practice.

For a team still learning how its pieces fit together, the exhibition became less about establishing a finished rotation and more about collecting information.

That may ultimately be the most useful takeaway from the 91-60 win.

South Carolina already knows what Joyce Edwards and Tessa Johnson can do as established players.

The more important question is how the returning players, transfers and freshmen fit around them.

Charleston did not answer that question completely.

It did, however, give Staley several new pieces of information to work with before the roster gets closer to full strength.

South Carolina has another exhibition against Benedict on Oct. 23 at Colonial Life Arena before opening the regular season Nov. 2 against Maryland in Paris.

The next time the Gamecocks take the floor, the lineup should look different.

The lessons from Charleston should still matter.