South Carolina women’s basketball bounced back from its first loss with an emphatic 76-36 win over No. 15 Iowa State in Fort Myers, Florida. It was a vintage Gamecock performance spurred by defensive domination.

Joyce Edwards and Sania Feagin led South Carolina with 13 points apiece. Edwards also had a team-high 11 rebounds. The Gamecocks limited Iowa State to 23% shooting (12 of 52) and the defensive pressure led to 19 turnovers. South Carolina will Purdue on Saturday (11 a.m., The Women Sports Network) at Suncoast Credit Union Arena.

But after watching Notre Dame take down USC and UCLA deliver a convincing victory against South Carolina, the Irish and Bruins appear closer to achieving South Carolina’s 2023-24 formula than the defending champs themselves — a sentiment Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley felt after their loss.