Gamecocks Back with Sunday Afternoon Tilt
Dec. 17, 2017
#4/5 South Carolina vs Savannah State
COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 4/5 South Carolina ends its exam break with a Sunday 3 p.m. tipoff against Savannah State. The Gamecocks have won their last 10 home games and 70 of their last 72 outings at Colonial Life Arena.
PARKING INFORMATION
Parking in Lots A and B will be pass only, however, public handicap parking in those lots will be $10. Additional private and city lot parking is also $10. Shuttles from the Pendleton and Park Street garages will begin two hours prior to tip-off, and will be $3 roundtrip.
South Carolina Notables
Staley is one win away from tying Nancy Wilson as the winningest head coach in South Carolina women’s basketball history. Wilson, who coached for 13 seasons (1985-97), finished her Gamecock career with 231 wins. If she ties the record tonight, Staley will have a chance to break it against her former team, Temple, on Thursday.
Senior forward A’ja Wilson continued to make headlines on the national stage this week, earning a spot in the U.S. Women’s National Team Pool, USA Basketball announced on Thursday. Most of the group, which includes five collegiate players, will gather in Columbia for a mini-camp Feb. 9-11.
Ball movement has been a hallmark of the 2017-18 Gamecock team, which is shooting an SEC-best 50.1 percent from the field as a result. The Gamecocks have won all nine games in which they have shot better than their opponent. South Carolina has assisted on at least half of it made fields goals eight times in 10 games (7-1) and ranks third in the SEC (41st in the nation) with 17.0 assists per game.
The focus of the Gamecock offense this season is once again the paint, where South Carolina has out-scored its opponent in each of its nine wins. The Gamecocks average 45.2 points in the paint while holding opponents to 40.7.
Junior forward Alexis Jennings had big shoes to fill in the starting frontcourt, but she has proven up to the challenge. Ranked ninth in the nation in field goal percentage (.650), she is 24th in the SEC in scoring (12.9 ppg) and 20th in rebounding (6.8 rpg). Both of her double-doubles this season have come against nationally ranked opponents.
Point guard Tyasha Harris has been dialing in her balance this season, measuring when to facilitate and when to score on her own. Her production over the last three games, 9.0 points, 7.3 assists and 4.3 steals per game, hint that she has solved the riddle.
By the Numbers
4 Consecutive games in which sophomore guard Tyasha Harris has handed out at least five assists
6 Games this season that South Carolina has allowed fewer than 60 points
21 Quarters this season in which the Gamecocks have shot at least 50.0 percent
72.7 Percent of the Gamecocks made field goals this season that have come in the paint
Savannah State Series Notes
The Gamecocks are 9-0 against the Lady Tigers, playing at least once in six of the last seven seasons. South Carolina has won the games by an average of 38.8 points, which includes an 81-48 victory in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
Blocking Scheme
South Carolina ranks 10th in the nation with 6.3 blocked shots per game, which is best in the SEC. While the Gamecocks have been atop this category over the last few seasons, the formula this season is slightly different. Instead of being dominated by two Gamecocks, nine different members of the team have recorded at least one blocked shot this season. Senior forward A’ja Wilson leads the way with 2.8 blocks per game, which rank her fourth in the SEC and 14th in the nation. Behind Wilson, sophomore Mikiah Herbert Harrigan has 1.3 blocks per game, which rank 10th in the SEC, and junior Alexis Jennings is just behind at 1.0 blocks per game.
Quarter Breakdown
Through 10 games this season, South Carolina has out-scored its opponent in all but six quarters and has out-paced its opponent by double digits 17 times in the 40 quarters, including a season-high differential of 22 points (27-5) in the first quarter against Alabama State (Nov. 10). South Carolina has shot at least 50.0 percent from the field 21 times in its 40 quarters of action, led by a its 68.8 percent accuracy in the second quarter against Alabama State (Nov. 10). Defensively, South Carolina has held an opponent to single digits in a quarter 10 times this season, including four quarters of five or fewer points. An opponent has shot to 20.0 percent or less from the field in 10 quarters, including a program-record low of 5.6 percent by College of Charleston (Dec. 5) in the second quarter. Individually, A’ja Wilson leads the Gamecocks with six double-digit scoring quarters and has the highest-scoring quarter this season with 18 points in the fourth against #6/6 Notre Dame (Nov. 26). Alexis Jennings and Lindsey Spann each have one double-digit scoring quarter.
