Gamecocks Set for Noon Tipoff at Florida Sunday

#1/1 SOUTH CAROLINA (19-1, 7-1) AT FLORIDA  (15-5, 5-2)
JANUARY 30, 2022 |  NOON ET |  GAINESVILLE, FLA. | EXACTECH ARENA

GAMECOCK NOTABLES

• The Gamecocks lead the SEC in offensive rebound percentage at 45.2 percent, so it’s no surprise to see Aliyah Boston (3.45) and Victaria Saxton (3.10) among the SEC’s top five offensive rebounders, ranking third and fifth, respectively. South Carolina has turned its 16.6 offensive rebounds per SEC game into an average of 16.4 points.
• After winning at Arkansas on Jan. 16, the Gamecocks used the eight-day gap in their game schedule to recommit to their core principles on both sides of the ball. The offensive result has been 49.5 percent field goal shooting, 18.5 made free throws per game on 78.7 percent shooting from the line and just 20 total turnovers across the two games. Defensively, Vanderbilt and #24/rv Ole Miss managed just 35.0 points per game on 24.1 percent shooting and 4.5 made free throws per game.
• South Carolina’s bench has been contributing more over the last two games, adding 33.5 points on 53.3 percent shooting and 16.0 rebounds per game over the stretch.
• In league play, drawing more attention than ever from opponents, National Player of the Year candidate Aliyah Boston averages 17.6 points (9th), 13.5 rebounds (2nd) and 2.25 blocks (3rd). Her eight double-doubles in league play are just one off her total from last season and two shy of Alaina Coates’ school-record 10 (2015-16).
• Senior Victaria Saxton has taken advantage of opponents’ extra attention on frontcourt partner Boston. The lithe forward has scored in double figures three times in the last seven games after entering the stretch averaging just 4.5 points. In those seven games, she has averaged 8.0 points on 67.6 percent (23-of-34) shooting to go with 6.4 rebounds, including 3.3 on the offensive end,

BY THE NUMBERS

3 – Aliyah Boston needs three rebounds to become the seventh Gamecock all-time to reach 900 career rebounds.

7.0 – South Carolina has outscored its opponents by an average of 7.0 points in the third quarter – a number that rises to 7.6 in SEC play.

27.2 – The Gamecocks have allowed their last five opponents to shoot just 27.2 percent from the field for 44.2 points per game.

NOTES

The Florida Series
South Carolina leads the all-time series 21-20 after winning the last 13 meetings. In the Dawn Staley era, the Gamecocks are 13-4. Nine of the last 10 meetings were decided by double digits, including each of the last four.

Defense dominated the most recent meeting, which resulted in a 75-59 South Carolina victory on Dec. 31, 2020, in Columbia. The Gamecocks allowed just six points in the first quarter and 12 in the second to claim a 39-18 halftime lead. Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke combined for 54 points on 52.5 percent shooting, and Boston and Victaria Saxton combined for seven blocks in the game.

In their last trip to Gainesville (Feb. 27, 2020), the Gamecocks burst out to a 54-30 lead at halftime and were consistent in the second half of the 100-67 victory.

Road Ready
The Gamecocks are 281-260 all-time in road games, including a 106-46 mark under head coach Dawn Staley.  Her .697 winning percentage on the road is the best in program history.

In SEC road games, Gamecocks are 73-33 (.695) during Staley’s tenure.

SEC Stories
South Carolina has been a regular contender for SEC regular-season championships since claiming its first one in 2013-14. In the last eight seasons, the Gamecocks have won the league five times – 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020 – and finished second in the other three seasons. They were picked by the league’s coaches to add another title this season.

The Gamecocks are the only program with two 16-0 SEC seasons – 2016, 2020.

After struggling through its first 17 seasons in the powerful league, South Carolina turned a corner with the arrival of Dawn Staley. Under her tutelage, the Gamecocks are 159-55 (.743) in league play with the 159 wins accounting for 71.3 percent of the program’s 223 all-time SEC victories.

Henny-thing Goes
Senior point guard Destanni Henderson is coming into her own in her final collegiate season, proving that trust in the process works. Entering the program as the No. 1 point guard in the Class of 2018, she waited her turn to step in to the starting role – even accepting a star bench position as a sophomore instead of clamoring for a starting role at another guard spot.

In two seasons as the starting point guard, Henderson is handing out 4.8 assists per game, including 25 games with five or more, and has a 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio. Her 12.1 points per game in that time includes 41.6 percent shooting from 3-point range.

The increased scoring as a starter helped Henderson join the 1,000-point club at Arkansas on Jan. 14.

Ready to Cooke
A prolific scorer from the minute she got to campus, Zia Cooke averages 13.5 points for her career. In 83 career games, she has hit double-digit points 63 times – 75.9 percent of her games – including 13 20-point outings.

The junior preseason All-American hit 1,000 career points on Dec. 12 and has scored in double figures in seven of her eight SEC games to average 11.7 points per league game so far.