South Carolina’s Alicia Tournebize (31) leaves the court during the first half of action of their women’s basketball game against Texas at Colonial Life Arena on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026.
Dawn Staley finally got to debut her mid-year French signee last week.
Alicia Tournebize played in South Carolina’s win against Texas on Thursday and Coppin State on Sunday.
Her first action with the Gamecocks came against the Longhorns, but it was brief. Tournebize was the first player off the bench for South Carolina when she checked in midway through the first quarter.
The 6-foot-7 forward played just five minutes against Texas and didn’t record any stats other than two personal fouls. Still, the crowd of 17,188 fans in Colonial Life Arena roared when she made her appearances.
“I like that she’s unafraid,” Staley told local media Wednesday. “(She) may not know everything that’s going on out there, but she’s willing to be out there. She’s unafraid, her number’s called [and] she is popping up and wants to get in the basketball game.”
In her second game of the year, Tournebize benefited from a shellacking on the scoreboard. South Carolina beat Coppin State 90-48, allowing Tournebize and other Gamecock bench players to play some extra minutes.
Tournebize made the most of her 13 minutes against the Eagles. She did a little bit of everything, including scoring eight points and tallying one rebound, one assist, one steal and one block. Her first points as a Gamecock came after she stole the ball, initiated a fast break and nailed a short pop-up jumper in the first quarter.
The stats don’t exactly pop off the page, but it’s still extremely early in Tournebize’s college career. Staley doesn’t quite think they’ll get the full Tournebize experience in her freshman season, but that isn’t stopping South Carolina from attempting to get the most out of her that it can.
“I don’t know if we’re gonna get the true test of what she is going to become in this short period of time, but we’re going to try,” Staley said. “She’s got a soft touch. We know she’s unafraid. That’s half the battle. I do think she really understands basketball, and I do think we can probably get a little bit better with our high-low and our ability to shoot from the perimeter from that position. I know we can get that.”
Staley credited her players with welcoming Tournebize and making her more comfortable in the time she’s been with the Gamecocks. Tournebize signed with South Carolina just before Christmas and arrived in Columbia on New Year’s Day.
South Carolina is hitting the road for a bout with No. 16 Oklahoma on Thursday. Expect Tournebize to continue to get minutes, against the Sooners and beyond.
“Just got to get her, continue to get it acclimated,” Staley said. “Practices are much better, obviously, because she’s getting acclimated to things. So we’ll see. We’ll keep throwing her in there. She’ll keep getting the opportunity to play. I do think she can move the needle for us at some point.”
This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 3:21 PM.
Michael Sauls is The State’s South Carolina women’s basketball reporter. He previously worked at The Virginian-Pilot covering Norfolk State and Hampton University sports. A Columbia native, he is an alum of the University of South Carolina.
