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Brea Beal

  • position Guard
  • height 6-1
  • class Senior
  • Hometown Rock Island, Ill.
  • High school Rock Island
  • position Guard
  • height 6-1
  • class Senior
  • Hometown Rock Island, Ill.
  • High school Rock Island

Brea Beal Bio

Awards Records Bio

Awards

At South Carolina
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Finalist (2023)
AP Honorable Mention All-America (2023)
NCAA Greenville 1 Regional All-Tournament Team
4x SEC Academic Honor Roll (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)

High School
Naismith All-America Third Team (2019)
WBCA All-America Third Team (2019)
McDonald’s All-America (2019)
USA Today Illinois Player of the Year (2019)
Gatorade Illinois Player of the Year (2017, 2018, 2019)
Illinois Ms. Basketball (2017, 2018, 2019)

South Carolina Record Book

Career
2nd – Games started in a career (137)
2nd – SEC games started in a career (63)
3rd – SEC games played in a career (64)

Season
1st – Games started in a season (37 in 2022-23)
1st – Games played in a season (37 in 2021-22 and in 2022-23)
2nd – Assist-to-turnover ratio in a season (2.90 (100-38) in 2022-23)
Most games started by a freshman (33 in 2019-20)

Career Summary

  • Regular starter all four years of her career, helping team to three SEC Regular-Season championships, three SEC Tournament titles and three NCAA Final Four showings, including the 2022 National Championship … team record of 129-9 during her career, including a 45-7 mark against nationally ranked opponents … ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll for 38 straight weeks, the second-longest streak in the history of that poll … lost just three SEC regular-season games in four seasons
  • In 2021-22 season, part of first team in program history to be ranked No 1 in both the AP and the USA Today Coaches’ Polls every week of the season … group went on to become just third program to hold No. 1 spot in the AP Poll every week in back-to-back seasons
  • Made name for herself defensively early in career and enjoyed most efficient offensive season of her career as a senior, averaging 6.4 points on 41.7 percent shooting, including 38.0 percent from 3-point range, in her final campaign
  • Stat stuffer throughout her career, but thrived as a senior ranking second on the team in assists, third in rebounding and fourth in blocks
  • Senior year effort delivered Honorable Mention All-America honors from the Associated Press, and was a finalist for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year
  • Finished her career with two double-doubles, 23 double-figure scoring games, 11 double-digit rebounding games and 18 games leading or tying for the team lead in assists, including 13 as a senior
  • No. 24 overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft, taken by the Minnesota Lynx in the second

 

 

Bio Information

Senior Year (2022-23)

  • Helped team to program-record 36 wins, including perfect 16-0 slate in SEC action, seven wins over ranked opponents, an SEC Tournament title and a spot in the NCAA Final Four for the third-straight season
  • Part of team that set program records for points scored, rebounds and rebounding margin in addition to an NCAA record for blocked shots per game
  • Grabbed All-America honors from the Associated Press for the first time in her career, landing on the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year finalist list and the SEC All-Defensive Team
  • Named to the NCAA Greenville 1 Regional All-Tournament Team after averaging 13.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and ad 5.0 assists on 47.4 percent shooting, including 50.0 percent from 3-point range, over the two games to send team to its third-straight Final Four
  • In NCAA Elite Eight against #7/7 Maryland (Mar. 27), scored 13 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter on 4-of-4 shooting and drawing five fouls in the period to hold off a Terrapin rally
  • In SEC Tournament, averaged 9.0 points and 4.0 assists, shooting 57.8 percent, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range
  • Grabbed six of her team-high eight boards in the pivotal third quarter of the SEC Tournament title game against Tennessee (Mar. 5)… led team with career-high six assists
  • Posted second career double-double at Tennessee (Feb. 23), grabbing six of her 11 rebounds in the second-quarter comeback, including five offensive boards with a pair of putbacks … led team with five assists
  • Handed out two of her five assists at Ole Miss (Feb. 19) in overtime to set up the win
  • Contributed six of her 11 points against #3/2 LSU (Feb. 12) in a 12-0 run to start the game, highlighted by a three and a traditional three-point play on back-to-back possessions that made it an 18-2 game in the first five minutes
  • Scored all five of her points in the final quarter at Mississippi State (Jan. 8), including a clutch 3 to extend the Gamecocks’ lead to eight with just over two minutes remaining
  • Put down two threes in the third quarter at Georgia (Jan. 2), one of which extended an 11-4 run that gave the Gamecocks their first lead of the game
  • Was a defensive powerhouse against South Dakota State (Dec. 15), posting career highs of six steals, including a momentum-killing swipe in the backcourt for an easy layup to help stop a 7-0 Jackrabbit run, and five blocks
  • Swiped a steal to start the fourth-quarter comeback run at #2/2 Stanford (Nov. 22) then hit a clutch 3 to make it a one-point game with 14 seconds to go in regulation
  • Opened game at #17/18 Maryland (Nov. 11) with a 3-pointer and grabbed five of her eight rebounds in the first half, adding a 3 in the second and third quarters as well

Junior Year (2021-22)

  • Part of first team in program history to be ranked No 1 in both the AP and the USA Today Coaches’ Polls every week of the season and program’s second National Championship
  • Team posted program-record 14 wins over ranked opponents and claimed the SEC Regular-Season title
  • Continued her defensive prowess, holding her primary guard below her season average 29 times, including eight games at least eight points below average
  • Excelled on both ends of the court in the NCAA Tournament, limiting her primary guard to an average of 6.9 points below her average entering the game while exceeding her own scoring average to net 6.5 points per game
  • Locked in defensively in National Championship game against #5/6 UConn (Apr. 3), allowing Christyn Williams just two points – over 12 points below her average entering the game
  • Played a strong, balanced game in the NCAA semifinal against #4/4 Louisville (Apr. 1), holding top scorer Hailey van Lith to just nine points while pouring in 12 points of her own, including six in the final 3:20 of the second quarter to turn a tie game into a six-point halftime lead
  • Aggressive to the basket early in NCAA Elite Eight vs. Creighton (Mar. 27), netting nine of her 12 points in the first 20 minutes on 4-of-6 shooting
  • Matched a personal best with six offensive rebounds vs. Tennessee (Feb. 20), three coming in the fourth quarter
  • Spurred on the team’s comeback in the third quarter at #13/16 LSU (Jan. 6) with six points, including a 3-pointer with 4:53 to play in the quarter to give the team a 41-38 lead, and four rebounds in the period
  • Hit a clutch 3-pointer late in the third quarter vs. #2/2 Stanford (Dec. 21), capping a 9-0 run that closed a 22-7 quarter to send the Gamecocks into the fourth with momentum
  • Battled inside for a pair of field goals during the 10-2 run that closed the first half against #2/2 UConn (Nov. 22) that pulled the Gamecocks within three at the break

Sophomore Year (2020-21)

  • Part of team that claimed its second-straight SEC Tournament title and advance to the NCAA Final Four for the first time since 2017
  • Led or tied for the team lead in rebounding four times – vs. #21/20 Gonzaga (Nov. 29), at Alabama (Jan. 4), vs. Oregon St. (Mar. 23) and vs. Texas (Mar. 30)
  • Pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds against Oregon State (Mar. 23) in NCAA Tournament second-round game, including seven in the first half as Gamecocks built a 30-18 halftime lead
  • Scored five of her seven points in the SEC Tournament title game against #16/21 Georgia (Mar. 7) during a 9-0 run that closed the third quarter and turned a tie game in to nine-point Gamecock advantage
  • Posted fourth double-digit scoring game in last six outings with 11 points against Alabama (Jan. 31), impacting game with four points, a rebound, two blocks and a steal during 18-5 run that opened second half
  • Great defensive effort at #21/19 Mississippi State (Jan. 28), holding leading scorer Rickea Jackson to just two first-half points
  • Came up big at LSU (Jan. 24), scoring six of her 10 points in the third quarter as the Gamecocks rallied to regain the lead… also tied her career high with four assists
  • Had a career scoring night for the second-straight game with 22 against #15/16 Arkansas (Jan. 18), scoring seven of in the first quarter and adding nine during the third as the Gamecocks pulled away with the lead … all while helping lock up Arkansas’ prolific offensive weapons on the perimeter

Freshman Year (2019-20)

  • Part of first team in program history to end the season ranked No. 1 in the nation, claiming that spot in both the AP and the USA Today Coaches’ Poll
  • Helped team to SEC Regular-Season and Tournament crowns before seeing the COVID-19 pandemic cancel the NCAA Tournament … won all 16 SEC regular-season games
  • Set program record for games started by a freshman after drawing the assignment in every game of the season
  • Notched the first double-double of her career in the SEC Championship game against Mississippi State (March 8) with 12 points and 11 rebounds
  • Snagged a career-best 13 rebounds at Missouri (Jan. 16), six of which came in the first quarter
  • Scored five of the team’s first 11 points and added three steals in opening quarter of her SEC debut against #13/13 Kentucky (Jan. 2) … tied her career-high scoring by halftime en route to game-high tying 15 points
  • With 10 rebounds at Dayton (Nov. 13), became first Gamecock freshman to post back-to-back double-digit rebound games since A’ja Wilson in 2014-15

High School

  • Ranked No. 11 recruit in the Class of 2019 and the No. 3 wing player in the class
  • Earned consensus All-America selection after her senior season (2018-19), during which she averaged 26.0 points, 14.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists
  • Named Illinois Ms. Basketball three times (2017, 2018, 2019), adding Illinois AP Class 4A Second-Team All-State honors as a freshman
  • Also captured Illinois Player of the Year honors from Gatorade (2017, 2018, 2019) and USA Today (2019)
  • Played in the McDonald’s All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic (2019)
  • Finished career is all-time leading scorer in Western Big 6 history
  • Helped Rock Island to 30-2 record and sectional title as a senior (2018-19)

Personal

  • Daughter of Nicole Adamson and Kevin Beal … has three younger brothers, Baker, Bakari and Baryn
  • Majoring in retailing with fashion merchandising and digital innovations concentrations

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