No. 1 South Carolina holds off Maryland 101-93 in Paris after leading by 31

Top-ranked South Carolina beat No. 20 Maryland 101-93 on Monday in Paris, but it didn't come easy after a 31-point lead. Joyce Edwards scored 23 to lead five Gamecocks in double figures, per the AP recap on ESPN.

It was the season opener for both teams, played at Adidas Arena.

A runaway first half

South Carolina made its first seven shots and led 33-13 late in the first quarter. It had 27 fast-break points in the first half and went into the break up 61-33 after Edwards hit a jumper from the left wing at the buzzer. Maryland went 3 for 15 in the first 10 minutes.

Mack's comeback

Then Addi Mack took over. The Maryland guard scored 31 of her 35 points in the second half, a career high, and finished 14 of 20 from the floor and 6 of 10 from 3-point range. The Terrapins won the second half 60-40 and cut the lead to 89-80 with 4:30 left, which got Dawn Staley to call a timeout.

South Carolina answered with a 7-0 run. Maryland got back within 96-90, and free throws from Jordan Lee and Jerzy Robinson closed it out.

The South Carolina numbers

Edwards went 10 of 19 with eight rebounds and four assists. Agot Makeer scored 20 on 8 of 10 shooting and made all four of her threes, per the ESPN box score. Robinson and Tessa Johnson added 15 apiece, and Lee had 13 after going 7 for 7 at the line.

South Carolina finished with 32 fast-break points, 20 offensive rebounds and eight blocks. It also turned it over 17 times, which kept Maryland in it late.

The trip was a homecoming for two Gamecocks from France, Alicia Tournebize and Justine Loubens.

The Chuck read

The first 20 minutes looked like the best team in the country. The last 20 looked like a team still figuring out who closes. South Carolina will be fine, but Mack gave every opponent on its schedule a tape to study. For Maryland, a 35-point night against the No. 1 team is the kind of start that gets a guard on national radar.