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No. 2 Gamecocks Hit the Road for No. 19 Alabama
Women's Basketball  . 

No. 2 Gamecocks Hit the Road for No. 19 Alabama

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 2/2 South Carolina travels to No. 19/19 Alabama for a 7 p.m. ET tipoff on Thursday as the Gamecocks continue a five-game stretch of games against ranked SEC rivals.

Gamecock Notables

  • South Carolina’s five wins over ranked opponents are more than any other team, and the Gamecocks’ remaining seven games against teams ranked in this week’s AP Poll are more than any other team as well.

  • The Gamecock defense has allowed just two opponents to reach 70 points this season and only four others have hit the 60-point plateau – none of which were ranked teams. Playing one of the toughest schedules in the country, South Carolina is 14th in the NCAA in scoring defense at 54.6 points per game and eighth in field goal percentage defense at .342.

  • Five Gamecocks are scoring in double-figures in SEC play with three others adding 6.0 or more points per game. Five Gamecocks are shooting at least 50.0 percent from the field against SEC opponents. A different player as been the team’s top scorer in each of their first four SEC games.

  • More than one-third of South Carolina’s 6.1 blocked shots per game have come from Gamecock guards (2.1), led by MiLaysia Fulwiley, who, in addition to being the Gamecocks’ top scorer in SEC play (12.8 ppg) is ninth in the league in blocks per conference game (1.25).

  • South Carolina has shot at least 80.0 percent from the free throw line in six of its last eight games, averaging 16.0 made free throws per game in that stretch.

  • National Player of the Year candidate Te-Hina Paopao is the Gamecocks’ top scorer against ranked teams (13.5 ppg), shooting 57.9 percent from the field and 60.9 percent from 3-point range in those six games.

  • Forwards Chloe Kitts and Joyce Edwards are the Gamecocks’ top scorers over the last three games at 13.0 points per game each. Kitts’ 7.7 rebounds per game in that stretch are also a team high, helping her to 13th in the league with 7.31 rebound per game on the season.

  • Raven Johnson’s all-court effort has her stuffing the stat sheet over her last eight games, posting 7.5 points per game on 51.0 percent shooting while averaging 2.9 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals in that stretch.

 

By the Numbers
6.1 – South Carolina’s 6.1 blocks per game rank seventh in the nation and second in the SEC.

+26.7 – The Gamecock bench has out-scored its counterparts by 26.7 points per game this season.

57.0 – South Carolina’s six ranked opponents have scored just 57.0 points per game against the Gamecocks.

 

The Alabama Series
The Gamecocks are 32-15 all-time against the Crimson Tide, including a 22-0 mark in the Dawn Staley era (beginning 2008-09). Tonight’s game marks the first in the series in which both teams are nationally ranked. South Carolina is 13-8 against Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

In last season’s meeting, the Gamecocks posted a 72-44 victory (Feb. 22) in Columbia behind a defensive effort that yielded just 11 points in the first half. Playing without All-American Kamilla Cardoso in that game, South Carolina got a double-double from Ashlyn Watkins (14 pts/10 rebs) along with 13 points from Bree Hall, 12 from then-freshman Tessa Johnson and 10 from Sania Feagin.

 

Road Ready
South Carolina is 314-262 (.545) all-time in road games (some records prior to 1976-77 did not include location of games), including a 139-46 mark (.751) under head coach Dawn Staley, giving her the best road winning percentage in program history. In SEC road games, the Gamecocks are 96-33 (.744) during Staley’s tenure.

The Gamecocks’ recent program-record 33-game road win streak (Jan. 6, 2022 – Nov. 20, 2024) is the third-longest in NCAA Div. I history.

 

Paint Production
South Carolina has long controlled the paint, and this season’s numbers have upheld that standard.

With 51.4 percent of their points coming in the paint, the Gamecocks are out-scoring opponents in that space 42.1 to 24.1 (+18.0) for the season, including by +10.3 points per game against ranked opponents (36.3-26.0). They are shooting 53.6 percent in the paint compared to opponents’ 37.7 percent accuracy in the space.

 

Pao-erful Impact
Fifth-year senior guard Te-Hina Paopao is a four-time all-conference selection across two conferences, but she added two first-time accolades to her resume last season – All-American and NCAA Div. I 3-point percentage leader. She opened this season on the watch lists for the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award. After choosing to transfer to South Carolina because of her belief in head coach Dawn Staley’s ability to develop the skills she needs to succeed at the next level, Paopao chose to return for her fifth season of college basketball because of the significant strides she made in her overall game in just a few months in Columbia. This season, Staley has challenged her again to raise her skills, and the veteran is delivering.

Paopao is second on the team with 11.1 points per game this season, including a team-high 13.5 points per game against ranked opponents. She is shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from 3-point range. Those numbers rise against ranked opponents to 57.9 percent shooting and 60.9 from the arc with 2.3 made 3s.

Paopao hands out 2.6 assists per game on the season, which have led to 6.4 points per game and mean she has her hands on 22.9 percent of the Gamecocks’ offense.

In addition to amping up her defensive skills, Paopao has diversified her offense as well. She is averaging 4.8 points from 3-point range, 4.0 from the paint and 1.9 from her midrange game. Against ranked teams, Paopao is even more level in her scoring – 5.2 ppg from 3, 4.3 from the paint, 3.8 from midrange.

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