Olivia Gaines

position G
height 5-7
class Junior
Hometown Chester, S.C.
Previous School Louisburg College (N.C.

position G
height 5-7
class Junior
Hometown Chester, S.C.
Previous School Louisburg College (N.C.

Awards

Prior to South Carolina
WBCA JUCO Player of the Year (2012-13)
NJCAA All-America (2012-13)

Senior Year (2014-15)

Played in all but two contests, notching a pair of starts (San Diego State, Mississippi State)
Averaged 3.2 points on 54.5 percent field goal shooting in NCAA Tournament action
Hit a pair of jumpers in a 13-7 run that closed the first half against #7/7 Florida State (Mar. 29) in the NCAA regional final to cut a nine-point deficit to three at halftime
Came up with huge contributions in final 90 seconds of NCAA Sweet 16 against #15/12 North Carolina (Mar. 27), grabbing a defensive rebound, collecting her own missed free throw and hitting an off-balance, game-tying 3-pointer from the corner in a 23-second span that turned the game in the Gamecocks’ favor
Provided a huge boost in second-half comeback of the SEC Tournament semifinal win over LSU (Mar. 7), hitting a jumper right out of halftime, turning a steal into a layup to give Gamecocks their first lead of the game with 16:01 to play and handing out all four of her assists in 10 minutes of play in the final period
Played great on Senior Night, getting the start to score a career-high nine points and locking down #11/13 Mississippi State’s (Feb. 26) top scorer
Was integral to 10-0 second-half run that stopped Auburn (Jan. 2) from coming back after pulling within eight with 12 minutes to play, scoring the first and last points of the spurt in addition to providing great defensive pressure
Picked up two steals in just one minute of high-pressure defense at #9/8 Duke (Dec. 7), including the one with 12 seconds left and the Gamecocks down by one, then called a timeout to set up the winning play
Drew her second career start against San Diego State (Nov. 23), picking up a pair of steals

Junior Year (2013-14)

Played in 32 games with one start (vs. Alabama)
Helped with great defense on Oregon State (Mar. 25) top scorer, especially in second half of second-round NCAA Tournament game
Picked up a steal and converted the resulting layup after Georgia (Feb. 27) got within nine midway through the second half
Provided great energy off bench at #15/15 Kentucky (Feb. 20), including three defensive rebounds during a key run late in the first half
Drew her first career start against Alabama (Jan. 19), putting in a balanced effort with four points, three assists and three rebounds
Played huge role in second-half comeback at #25/21 Texas A&M (Jan. 16), providing great pressure on the point guard defensively and draining a 3 at the end of the shot clock to cap a 16-2 run that helped cut the 17-point halftime deficit to one with 9:38 to play, then hit a long jumper to stave off an Aggies’ run three minutes later
Provided great spark defensively in second half against #14/13 North Carolina (Dec. 18), helping key a 14-3 run that brought team within two points after trailing by 12 at the half
Made a statement in her debut with four points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals in 17 minutes against Charleston Southern (Nov. 8)

Prior to South Carolina

Named Junior/Community College Player of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association as a sophomore
Earned NCJAA All-America honors, averaging 18.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.5 steals as a sophomore (2012-13), guiding team to a 32-3 record
Helped team to NJCAA Division II National Championship in 2013
Played two seasons for Coach Brett Vana’s Hurricanes

High School