Well, that was one way to ring in the new year. After going 10-3 in the non-conference slate, South Carolina proved to be no match for No. 17 Mississippi State in the SEC opener, losing 85-50. Here are five things we learned from watching the way the Gamecocks performed on Saturday.

Sophomore Tessa Johnson led the charge for USC with a career-high 22 points, while junior Chloe Kitts chipped in with a double-double of 17 points and 10 boards. Senior Te-Hina Paopao had 15 points, five assists and four rebounds.

Just when it looked like South Carolina had survived getting run over by No. 17 Mississippi State for the first 13 minutes of Saturday’s SEC opener, the Bulldogs