Nov. 24, 2014
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina women’s basketball is ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll released today. It is the Gamecocks’ first appearance at the top of a national poll and makes it the school-record 14th-straight week that South Carolina has been in the AP’s top 10.
“I feel really good about what our team has been able to accomplish. This is not a goal that we had set, but it is a part of our journey,” South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said.
Staley is now a member of an exclusive club, joining Baylor’s Kim Mulkey as the second person ever to play for and coach the nation’s top-ranked team.
“Basketball has been extremely good to me. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. I try to repay my debt to basketball, but it keeps giving more in big ways,” Staley added. “I want to be amongst the ones that have won a national championship somewhere in their career.”
South Carolina opened this season with the program’s best preseason ranking at No. 2, which also matched the previous best rank in school history. The Gamecocks were originally ranked No. 2 in the nation during the 1980-82 season, holding the spot for three weeks – Dec. 20, Dec. 27, Jan. 3.
The Gamecocks opened the season 3-0 for the fourth-straight time under Staley, playing all three games in front of over 10,000 fans at Colonial Life Arena. South Carolina won those games by an average of 39.3 points, shooting 50.3 percent from the field with 44.9 percent from 3-point range. Four Gamecocks average double-figure points, led by reigning SEC Player of the Year Tiffany Mitchell with 17.7 points per game. She is shooting 61.5 percent from the field, highlighted by 69.2 percent (9-of-13) accuracy from 3-point range. Reigning SEC Freshman of the Year Alaina Coates averages nearly a double-double with 13.3 points and 9.3 rebounds. Freshman A’ja Wilson and senior Aleighsa Welch round out the quartet with 12.3 and 11.0 points per game, respectively.
South Carolina left for the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas this morning. The Gamecocks will take on Wisconsin on Thu., Nov. 27, at 4:15 p.m. (ET) and face either East Carolina or nationally-ranked Syracuse on Fri., Nov. 28, at 8 p.m. (ET). Both games are scheduled to have live video available at JunkanooJam.com or can be heard on 107.5 The Game or GamecocksOnline.com.
“We will see if being away from home cuts down on distractions of being ranked No. 1. This week was already going to be a test since we have a big group of young players who haven’t played a Division I basketball game on the road,” Staley said of the trip to the Junkanoo Jam.
South Carolina women’s basketball season tickets are available starting at $100 for a Family Four-Pack of four general admission tickets. Single-game tickets are also on sale now and are $7 for adults and $4 for youth (17 and under). Visit www.GameocksOnline.com/tickets or call 1-800-4SC-FANS to purchase tickets.
