Nov. 19, 2013

South Carolina Game Notes

Game Information

Opponent: Clemson Lady Tigers
Date: Wednesday, November 20, 2013, 7 p.m.
Site: Clemson, S.C.
Arena: Littlejohn Coliseum (10,000)
TV: None
Radio: WNKT 107.5 FM/WISW 1320 AM (Brad Muller); GamecocksOnline.com (Free)
Live Video: ClemsonTigers.com (Free)
Live Stats: ClemsonTigers.com
Series History: CU leads 33-25

South Carolina Notables

• Welch has moved into a tie for eighth in school history with 253 career offensive boards through 70 games. She is just 11 away from a spot in the top five.
• South Carolina leads the SEC in field goal percentage (.498), rebounding margin (+17.7), blocks per game (8.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7).
• Four Gamecocks average double-figure points this season with 12.0 ppg the minimum in the group. South Carolina has had five hit double figures in three of the first four games this season, which already exceeds the number of any previous season in the Dawn Staley era. In fact, in the previous five seasons under Staley, five Gamecocks scored double digits in a game just five times.
• The Gamecocks shot a sparkling 73.9 percent from the field (17-of-23) in the second half of the win over Seton Hall (Nov. 17), thanks to the combined 8-of-9 effort in the period from the trio of frontcourt stars – Elem Ibiam, Aleighsa Welch and Alaina Coates.
• Alaina Coates earned her first conference award of the season as she was named SEC Freshman of the Week (Nov. 18) for her efforts in a pair of wins last week. She averaged a double-double on the week and blocked seven shots.
• Junior Aleighsa Welch and freshman Alaina Coates rank among the SEC’s top 16 in both scoring and rebounding so far this season. Welch reels in an SEC-best 10.8 rebounds per game and is 14th in scoring with 14.0 points per outing. Coates comes in 16th in scoring with 13.3 per game and fourth in rebounding with a 9.8 average. She is the highest rebounding freshman in the league and the only one to rank that high in both categories.
• Junior Elem Ibiam is among the SEC’s best centers on both ends of the floor as she leads the league in blocks per game (3.5), recording at least three in each game this season; is third in field goal percentage (.645), shooting 50.0 percent or better in every game; and holds 10th in scoring at 14.5 points per game.
• Sophomore guard/forward Asia Dozier’s 3-point explosion against College of Charleston (Nov. 14) – a career-high four made – catapulted her up the SEC standings into 10th with 1.8 3s made per game.

Notes

A South Carolina Win Would…

• Be the Gamecocks’ fourth straight over Clemson and the second in as many trips to Littlejohn Coliseum.
• Give South Carolina its first road win of the season.
• Bring head coach Dawn Staley to 97 wins at South Carolina, putting her four behind Pam Parsons (1978-82) for third all-time in Gamecock women’s basketball history.

By the Numbers
2 Gamecocks among the SEC’s top four in field goal percentage – Elem Ibiam (3rd, .645) and Alaina Coates (4th, .629)
3 Games this season in which five Gamecocks have scored in double figures, which had happened just five previous times in the Dawn Staley era
4 Gamecocks who have scored in double figures in each of the four games this season – Elem Ibiam, Aleighsa Welch, Alaina Coates and Tiffany Mitchell, all of whom rank among the SEC’s top 30 scorers
7 Games in the Dawn Staley era in which the Gamecocks have scored 80 or more points, including three this season
23 Entries for the Gamecocks in the last 33 Associated Press Top 25 Polls
34.0 Trips to the free throw line per game by the Gamecocks this season, including a season-high 44 attempts against Seton Hall (Nov. 17), of which South Carolina made 30 – second-most in the Staley era
35.2 Points per game by which South Carolina has out-scored its opponents this season to rank third in the SEC
66.1 Percent of field goals made this season that have been assisted
73.9 Percent field goal shooting for South Carolina in the second half of the win over Seton Hall (Nov. 17)

Clemson Series Notes
This rivalry dates back to the 1975-76 season for women’s basketball with the Tigers holding a 33-25 advantage thanks to a seven-game win streak in the late 1990s. South Carolina answered by winning seven of the last 11 contests, including the last three. Overall, South Carolina is just 6-20 against the Tigers on their home court, but has won three of the last four meetings in Littlejohn Coliseum. The Dawn Staley era got off to a rocky start in this series as the Gamecocks dropped the first two meetings by a combined nine points, including a 94-92 double-overtime heartbreaker in Littlejohn on Nov. 19, 2009. Since then, South Carolina has won three straight over the Tigers by an average of 18.0 points, most recently a 64-43 victory on Nov. 18, 2012, in Colonial Life Arena. Then-freshman Tiffany Mitchell tied for game-high honors with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting in that game. The last game between these two at Littlejohn was a 65-48 Gamecock win on Nov. 17, 2011, in which just three current Gamecocks saw action as freshmen. Tina Roy led the trio with nine points, while Aleighsa Welch added five points and six boards. Elem Ibiam snagged three of her four rebounds on the offensive end and scored four points in just eight minutes on the court.

Noting November
In its 40th season of women’s basketball, South Carolina is 87-39 (.690) all-time in the month of November, including a 26-10 record (.722) in the sixth season of the Dawn Staley era. The Gamecocks hold a winning record in all three site possibilities during the month – 45-10 (.818) at home, 22-17 (.564) on the road and 20-12 (.625) at neutral sites.

Road Warriors
With comprehensive records beginning in the 1976-77 season (the third for women’s basketball at South Carolina), the Gamecocks are 195-234 (.455) all-time in games played on the road, including a 26-29 mark (.473) in the Dawn Staley era. The Gamecocks have had winning road records in each of the last two seasons, combining for a 16-8 record (.667) during the stretch.

20/20 Vision
The Gamecocks have won each of their four games this season by at least 20 points for the second time in as many seasons. South Carolina opened the 2012-13 campaign with four straight 20-point wins en route to nine games with that minimum margin – a Dawn Staley era record. The Gamecocks posted eight 20-point wins in 2011-12 after just two in 2010-11, one in 2009-10 and two in Staley’s first season 2008-09.

Finding the Right Octave
South Carolina has scored at least 80 points in three games so far this season after reaching the mark just four times in the first five seasons of the Dawn Staley era combined. This season’s games are the first of the group to be played in Colonial Life Arena. Under Staley, the Gamecocks are 6-1 in games in which they score 80 points with the lone loss coming in a double-overtime affair (94-92) at Clemson on Nov. 19, 2009. That is the only previous season in which the Gamecocks hit the 80-point plateau multiple times, adding an 80-68 victory at Alabama on Jan. 10, 2010.