Women’s Hoops in Fort Myers for Top-15 Battle – University of South Carolina Athletics

On By Littum

Gamecock Notables

  • South Carolina’s schedule includes 13 games against nationally ranked opponents. Through six games, the Gamecocks’ previous opponents’ .852 winning percentage is sixth-highest in the nation, and no other ranked team is in the top 10. Looking at the entire 30-game schedule, South Carolina ranks fifth in opponent wins. percent (0.792).

  • The Gamecock bench is eighth in the nation in scoring at 37.2 points per possession. game and includes three players averaging at least 9.0 points, led by MiLaysia Fulwiley’s 10.7 points per game. match. The group outperforms its counterparts by 21.3 points per match and accounts for 48.0 percent of the total attack.

  • South Carolina continues to be a rebounding force this season, ranking 15th in the nation with 45.3 boards per game. match. The team effort features four players with at least 4.0 rebounds per game. match. The Gamecocks’ 18.3 offensive boards per game are eighth in the nation and have yielded 18.2 points per game. According to Her Hoop Stats, South Carolina is 12th in the nation with an offensive rebounding rate of 44.2 percent.

  • Ranked 15th in the nation with 5.7 blocks per game as a team, 11 Gamecocks have blocked at least one shot this season. Ashlyn Watkins is ninth in the SEC with a team-best 1.6 blocks per game, but the Gamecock guards are doing their part with 12 of the team’s 34 total blocks this season.

  • Fifth-year guard Te-Hina Paopao’s career-best 14.2 points per game game leads the Gamecocks, as does her 3.3 assists per game. match. Her 50.0 percent 3-point shooting is 33rd in the nation and includes a perfect 4-of-4 effort at #5/6 UCLA on Sunday. She has scored in double figures four times this season, including both games against ranked opponents against whom she is averaging 20.5 points on 58.6 percent shooting. Her career 41.2 percent 3-point shooting is 11th among active Div. I play.

  • NCAA Final Four All-Tournament selection Tessa Johnson has carried that momentum into this season, averaging 9.3 points on 50.0 percent shooting. In her last two games, she averaged 11.0 points on 53.3 percent shooting, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range.

By the numbers
4 – South Carolina has only lost four of his 118 games over the past four seasons (beginning 2021-22).

13.0 – The Gamecocks’ turnover rate of 13.0 per game is the fewest in the SEC and ranks 27th in the nation.

100 – South Carolina’s 100 consecutive weeks in the AP Top 10 is the longest active streak in the nation and the 11th longest in the poll’s history.

Iowa State Series
The Gamecocks and Cyclones have met once again in women’s basketball as South Carolina traveled to Ames for an SEC/Big 12 Challenge game on December 6, 2020. The Gamecocks jumped out to a 10-point lead in the opening quarter and rode a 50 .0 percent 3-point shooting night for the 83-65 victory.

Neutral stance
The Gamecocks are 171-96 (.640) all-time on a neutral field. South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley is 88-27 in games played at neutral sites (.765), including a 32-10 (.762) record in regular season outings at neutral sites.

Ranking review
South Carolina’s first loss in 44 games moved the Gamecocks to the No. 4 in this week’s AP Poll and no. 5 in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches’ Poll.

It marks the Gamecocks’ 100th consecutive entry in the AP’s top 10, beginning with the 2019-20 preseason poll. It is the longest active streak and the 11th longest in this poll’s history. Their 231 straight appearances in the AP Poll, dating back to Dec. 10, 2012, marks the second-longest active streak in the nation and the ninth-longest all-time (8th, Notre Dame, 234).

In the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll, South Carolina has been in the top 10 since claiming the No. 10 in the 2019-20 preseason poll.

All about balance
Like last season, South Carolina’s biggest asset is its depth. Returning nine of 11 letterwinners from last season’s undefeated national championship team, the 2024-25 roster features six Gamecocks who averaged at least 18.0 minutes and scored at least 8.1 points per game last season.

This season, 10 Gamecocks have played at least 15.0 minutes per game. match. Six average at least 7.0 points and four have grabbed at least 4.0 rebounds per game. match. Nine Gamecocks have scored in double figures at least once, and three have led the team in scoring at least once.