As the Gamecocks prepare for a crucial Arkansas game, Dawn Staley revealed two of her biggest stars will be missing for the third game in a row.

The SC Gamecocks will be without Ta’Niya Latson and Alicia Tournebize. However, Staley dropped a positive update as well in her pregame interview when asked if fans would see them.

“No, probably not. They’re ramping up.” Both players participated in Wednesday’s practice, but since they are not 100% healthy, they were not full participants.

Latson suffered a sprained left ankle against Providence at the 4:18 mark of the half. As she drove for a transition layup, she lost her balance and fell. She was later spotted with a boot on her foot against Alabama, but removed it against Florida.

She is averaging 16.9 points, four assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game, while shooting a career-high 51.9% from the floor and 41.7% from three.

She is also the Gamecocks’ second-leading scorer and a crucial part of their transition game. The upcoming matchup is even more difficult with Tournebize also on the bench.

Why Is Alicia Tournebize Not Playing?

Tournebize signed with South Carolina on December 22, and two days later, she was released from Tango Bourges. However, due to delays in her documentation process, she arrived in Columbia on January 1.

She then attended her first practice and traveled with the team to Florida, but did not play.

“She understands what she needs to do to come in here and be in the weight room, get a little treatment, come out here and practice a little bit—not much."

She added, "She hasn’t practiced a whole lot. We’ll continue to ramp her up. We don’t want to just throw her out there. It’s unfair to her to do that. But at some point, hopefully soon, we’ll get her out there in a game.”

Written by

Yashika Dutta

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar