MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Te'a Cooper brushed off the early jitters in her return to the court. Bianca Jackson did the same playing with her mom on the opposing bench.
Cooper scored 17 points in her South Carolina debut to lead the 10th-ranked Gamecocks to a 94-38 victory over Alabama State on Sunday in their season opener.
Cooper, a Tennessee transfer, had 15 points by halftime as the Gamecocks built a 60-20 cushion. She had sat out the past two seasons because of the transfer and a knee injury while at Tennessee.
"It felt great. I was a little nervous in the beginning but my teammates made me feel better," Cooper said.