It would be an understatement to say that Raven Johnson is motivated this season.
The sophomore point guard for the undefeated and top-ranked Gamecocks dished out 17 assists Thursday night in South Carolina’s dominant 109-40 win over in-state rival Clemson. Johnson stuffed the rest of the stat sheet too, tallying six points, eight rebounds and five steals in South Carolina’s third straight victory over a Power Five opponent.
After the game, Johnson had more to say. To borrow a phrase from Drake, she’s out here looking for revenge. And it all stems from last year’s Final Four, when South Carolina saw its undefeated season end with a loss to Iowa in Dallas, Texas.
Raven Johnson spoke on the Final 4 after today's win:
"As soon as we lost, we got all these hate comments. I got bashed from a viral video that went so viral. People don't know behind the scenes how I felt…
I said this was a revenge season & I got something for everybody." pic.twitter.com/gzF3UKz70s
— Matt Dowell (@MattDowellTV) November 17, 2023
“I got bashed from a viral video… People don’t know behind the scenes how I felt and what I went through. I think that put fuel to the fire.”
The clip that Johnson is referring to is one that shows Iowa’s Caitlin Clark leaving Johnson wide open at the 3-point line in the national semifinals, waving her off and daring her to shoot.
It’s worth noting that, while Johnson shot just 24.1% from behind the arc last season, she’s dramatically improved in that area this year, making 33.3% of her attempts from deep range through three games.
Johnson has also – as evidenced in the win over Clemson – become an incredible playmaking passer. Johnson is averaging 10.7 assists per game, which is tied for the national lead with Northwestern’s Caroline Lau.
Her 17 dimes against the Tigers were historic in several ways:
- It was Johnson’s career-high in a single game.
- It’s the second-most assists in a single game ever by a South Carolina player.
- It’s the most assists in a game so far this season.
- It’s the most assists in a game by any SEC player since 2005.
- She’s the first Division I player since 2015 to have 17 assists, five steals and less than three turnovers in a game.
- She’s the third Division I player in the past 25 seasons to have at least five points, five rebounds, five steals and 15 assists against a Power Six opponent. The other two are WNBA All-Stars Chelsea Gray (Duke) and Courtney Vandersloot (Gonzaga).
- For South Carolina, the win marked the first time in program history that they’ve scored 100 points in three straight games.
Play with @HollywoodRaven if you want to! Ray Ray keep doing you! Proud of you!!! @GamecockWBB
— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) November 17, 2023
A lot of folks thought that South Carolina might take a step back this season after replacing its entire starting lineup – including No. 1 WNBA Draft Pick Aliyah Boston – from a season ago. But with Johnson, Kamilla Cardoso and Milaysia Fulwiley leading the way, the Gamecocks haven’t missed a beat. They still look like the best team in women’s college basketball.
And Dawn Staley’s team isn’t slowing down anytime soon. They just landed Joyce Edwards, the No. 2 recruit in the 2024 class.
