Another Top-10 Matchup for Women's Basketball Sunday
#1/1 SOUTH CAROLINA (4-0) vs. #9/9 OREGON (3-0)
NOVEMBER 21, 2021 | 2:30 P.M. ET | PARADISE ISLAND, BAHAMAS | ATLANTIS RESORT
GAMECOCK NOTABLES
- South Carolina is facing its second top-10 opponent of the season this afternoon. The Gamecocks currently have five such games on their schedule among their total 11 games against teams ranked in the AP and/or USA Today Preseason Poll.
- The Gamecocks have not been out-rebounded in their last 38 games, dating back to the 2019-20 season. This season’s +17.8 rebounding margin ranks second in the SEC and among the nation’s top 20. Crashing the glass has become a team effort with six Gamecocks averaging at least 4.0 rebounds per game, including a pair of guards.
- South Carolina’s .504 field goal percentage leads the SEC and has not slowed the team’s commitment to covering the glass. The Gamecocks are second in the SEC in offensive rebounding percentage, collecting 44.4 percent of their own missed shots.
- The Gamecocks have been efficient from 3-point range, but they are also shooting 62.9 percent in the paint to average 36.5 points per game in that area (48.3 percent of the offense).
- South Carolina’s established starting lineup is starting to get the help everyone expected from the deep bench, especially the newcomers. In last night’s win over Buffalo, the four first-year Gamecocks added 24 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and four blocks to the effort, led by the team’s first double-double of the season from Kamilla Cardoso (12 pts/10 rebs) and sparked by seven points from the season debut of Saniya Rivers.
- The Gamecock defense continues to shine while the offense is still coming together. No team has scored more than 60 points, including #5/4 NC State in the season opener.
- Junior Aliyah Boston posted the team’s first 20-point game of the season last night, netting 23 against Buffalo on a season-best 9-of-15 shooting (.600).
BY THE NUMBERS
9.0 – The Gamecocks’ 9.0 blocks per game lead the SEC, paced by Aliyah Boston’s 2.5 average, which is third in the league.
26 – South Carolina’s 26 assists against Buffalo were the second-most in the Dawn Staley era.
46.0 – The Gamecocks are shooting 46.0 percent from 3-point range over the last three games.
NOTES
The Oregon Series
The Gamecocks are 2-0 all-time against the Ducks, but the programs have not met since the 2002-03 season. The two faced off at the Paradise Jam on Nov. 28, 2002, with South Carolina claiming a 67-40 victory en route to a win in its division.
Ranked Readings
Against ranked opponents, South Carolina is 86-66 in the Dawn Staley era (beginning 2008-09), although that mark is skewed by the early seasons of her tenure.
Since the start of the 2014-15 campaign, the Gamecocks are 71-27 against ranked teams, including a 23-6 mark since the start of the 2019-20 season.
Schedule Strength
South Carolina’s 11 games against teams in either the AP or USA Today/WBCA Poll are the second-most in the nation, trailing just Stanford (12) and tied with Maryland. The Gamecocks and Stanford are each playing five games against top-10 opponents. South Carolina has a chance to add one more depending on the outcome of Sunday’s Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis games.
Glass Ceiling
Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Gamecocks have dominated on the glass, ranking among the NCAA’s top five in rebounds per game and rebounding margin every season and sixth in offensive rebounds per game each of the last two full seasons. In the last 67 games played, South Carolina has been out-rebounded just three times, still winning all three games.
This season, South Carolina ranks among the nation’s top 20 with a +17.8 rebounding margin. Sophomore Kamilla Cardoso is 18th in the SEC in rebounds per game (6.3) and five other Gamecocks average 4.0 or more rebounds on the season.
