Women's Basketball . November 11, 2021

No. 1 Gamecocks to Face South Dakota Friday

GAMECOCK NOTABLES

Head coach Dawn Staley showed no fear in her scheduling this season, especially in early games. South Carolina will face a ranked opponent in two of its first five games with a third, South Dakota, just outside the top 25 in both polls. Four of those five games are on the road or at a neutral site.
Returning all 11 players from last season’s NCAA Final Four team, South Carolina’s defensive effort in the season opener Tuesday night was no surprise. The Gamecocks held #5/4 NC State to just 57 points after opponents averaged just 58.1 points against them last season. The Wolfpack shot 27.3 percent in the second quarter to score just eight points in the period.
The Gamecocks’ annual block party started right away this season with Aliyah Boston blocking just the second shot attempt from NC State. Her five blocks against the Wolfpack led a nine-block effort. Last season, South Carolina’s 7.0 blocks per game ranked second in the nation, and the Gamecocks added the ACC’s top shot blocker in transfer Kamilla Cardoso.
Junior Zia Cooke continued the offensive consistency that she found at the end of last season’s NCAA Tournament. The preseason All-American shot 6-of-13 (.462) at NC State after closing last season with a three-game 23-of-51 (.451) shooting stretch.
Senior point guard Destanni Henderson will be looking to reclaim the Sanford Pentagon magic that led her to be named the MVP of the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic last season. Over those two games, she poured in 21.0 points per game on 14-of-24 (.583) shooting and grabbed 6.0 rebounds per game.
Senior Destiny Littleton made an early pitch to increase her playing time this season with a solid second quarter off the bench at NC State as she scored seven of the team’s nine points in the period and grabbed four rebounds.

BY THE NUMBERS

0 – There were zero ties or lead changes in the Gamecocks’ season-opening win at #5/4 NC State Tuesday night.

5 – The Gamecocks’ five newcomers include four freshmen ranked No. 2, 3, 4 and 14 in their class and this year’s No. 1 transfer.

52 – Junior Zia Cooke has scored in double figures in 52 of her career 65 games played.

NOTES

The South Dakota Series
The Gamecocks and Coyotes are meeting for the third time in three seasons with South Carolina winning the first two matchups. While the first game was in Columbia, the last one was on the same court as tonight’s game at the Sanford Pentagon. In that 81-71 victory in the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic, the Gamecocks went into the locker room tied, but used a 10-2 run to open the third quarter and build a 68-42 lead going into the final period. Destanni Henderson scored 10 of her 19 points in that decisive third quarter, which set the foundation for her tournament MVP recognition.

Neutral Stance
The Gamecocks are 144-94 (.605) all-time on a neutral court. South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley is 61-26 in games played at neutral sites, including a 23-11 mark in regular-season games.

Oh Captain, My Captain
For the second time in as many seasons, senior Victaria Saxton and junior Aliyah Boston will serve as team captains. It is Saxton’s third season in that position.

Glass Ceiling
Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Gamecocks 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 65 games played, South Carolina has been out-rebounded just three times, still winning all three games.