Chloe Kitts Has 17 Points and 10 Rebounds as No. 1 South Carolina Beats No. 12 North Carolina 84-39

Photo: South Carolina Athletics. Chloe Kitts, official roster photo. Card design: The Dyme.

FINAL, Spectrum Center, Charlotte (Ally Tipoff): No. 1 South Carolina 84, No. 12 North Carolina 39.

Chloe Kitts had 17 points and 10 rebounds, with four of them offensive, and shot 7 of 12 from the field and 3 of 3 at the line. She played 18 minutes. Kitts missed all of last season with a knee injury, according to the AP. South Carolina’s official roster also lists her as missing 2025-26 after right-knee ACL surgery. Joyce Edwards added 15 points, Tessa Johnson had 12 with two threes and freshman Jerzy Robinson had 10.

Where the 45 points came from

South Carolina scored 38 points off 24 North Carolina turnovers (22 player turnovers and two team turnovers, per ESPN), and North Carolina scored 3 off South Carolina's 12. The Gamecocks outscored the Tar Heels 36-14 in the paint and 11-4 on the fast break. They outrebounded North Carolina 48-33, with 19 offensive rebounds to 16.

North Carolina shot 15 of 60 (25 percent) and 6 of 28 on threes. Nyla Brooks was 4 of 6 from three, so the rest of the Tar Heels were 2 of 22 from deep. South Carolina shot 29 of 64 (45 percent).

By our count, South Carolina gained 28 points on two-pointers (46–18) and 17 at the line (20–3), while both teams scored 18 on threes. Those categories account for the entire 45-point margin.

The middle two quarters

South Carolina led 15-10 after the first quarter and 34-17 at halftime. Across the second and third quarters combined, South Carolina outscored North Carolina 51-16 and allowed exactly six UNC field goals, according to the AP. North Carolina's largest lead was 2 points, according to ESPN team stats.

Who played

Ashlyn Watkins, not JuJu Watkins, had 10 rebounds and no points on 0-of-4 shooting. She returned after a January 2025 ACL injury and sat out all of last season, according to the AP. Her 0 points and 10 rebounds match the ESPN box. Watkins also had a team-high 10 rebounds in the opening win over Maryland.

North Carolina's Kate Harpring had 8 points on 3-of-16 shooting and a team-high 7 rebounds. Brooks led the Tar Heels with 13 points.

What it means

South Carolina is 2-0 after beating No. 20 Maryland 101-93 in Paris on Monday. It was the Gamecocks' fifth straight win in the series, per the AP. North Carolina is 0-2 after a 91-79 loss to No. 21 Oklahoma in Paris. The Gamecocks play at Clemson on Thursday night, and the Tar Heels open their home season against North Carolina Central on Wednesday night.

Sources

• ESPN box score, game 401906089. Final South Carolina 84, North Carolina 39. Ranks No. 1 and No. 12. Quarters SC 15-19-32-18, UNC 10-7-9-13. SC 29-64 FG, 6-16 3PT, 20-25 FT, 48 reb (19 off), 12 TO, 12 stl, 3 blk, 38 pts off TO, 36 paint, 11 fast break, 13 ast, largest lead 45. UNC 15-60 FG, 6-28 3PT, 3-7 FT, 33 reb (16 off), 24 TO, 7 ast, 0 blk, 3 pts off TO, 14 paint, 4 fast break, largest lead 2. Kitts 17 pts 7-12 FG 3-3 FT 10 reb 18 min. J. Edwards 15. Johnson 12, 2-4 3PT. Robinson 10, 3-4 3PT. Watkins 0 pts 0-4 FG 10 reb. Brooks 13, 4-6 3PT. Harpring 8, 3-16 FG, 7 reb.
• ESPN / Associated Press recap. Nov 8, 2026. Kitts 17 and 10, Edwards 15. No. 1 over No. 12 at the Ally Tipoff. Kitts missed last season with a knee injury. SC 101-93 over No. 20 Maryland in Paris. UNC 91-79 loss to No. 21 Oklahoma. 51-16 in second and third quarters, six baskets allowed. Fifth straight win in the series. Watkins 10 reb, scoreless, ACL return. UNC 25% (15 of 60). UNC hosts N.C. Central Wednesday. SC at Clemson Thursday.
• CBS Sports gametracker, South Carolina at North Carolina. Actually opened. Final 84–39, Spectrum Center, Charlotte; Kitts 17 points and 10 rebounds. Distinct third site (cbssports.com). CBS team-stat turnovers list UNC 22 player turnovers; ESPN total 24 includes two team turnovers.
• AP News original story URL. Located in search; public fetch returned 403 here, so not used as opened evidence. ESPN-hosted AP recap above is the same wire syndication, not a second independent report.
• Photo: South Carolina Athletics official roster photo of Chloe Kitts, used inside the Dyme card.