Dec. 27, 2011
Game Information
Date: Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Philadelphia, Pa.
Arena: John A. Daskalakis Center (2,532)
Radio: WISW 1320 AM (Brad Muller); GamecocksOnline.com
Live Video: Via DrexelDragons.com and click on the “Live Events” tab to select the game
Live Stats: Via DrexelDragons.com and click on the “Live Events” tab to select the game
Drexel Series: First Meeting
South Carolina Notables
- South Carolina’s defense, rated second in the nation in points allowed, has held seven opponents to 48 or fewer points this season, the most since 2006-07.
- After joining the 1,000-point club on Dec. 14, senior La’Keisha Sutton needs two assists to become just the 11th player in school history to amass at least 1,000 points and 300 assists in her career. The last to reach both marks was Cristina Ciocan in the 2003-04 season.
- In the last five games, during which it is 4-1, South Carolina has averaged 67.0 points per game on 43.1 percent shooting while limiting opponents to just 39.2 points per game and 29.7 percent shooting.
- Freshman Aleighsa Welch has been the team’s top rebounder over the last five games, pulling in 6.6 boards per outing while shooting 72.4 percent from the field for 10.6 points per game.
Notes
A South Carolina Win Would…
- Make the Gamecocks 11-2 to start the season, the best mark since opening the 2002-03 campaign with a 13-1 mark.
- Give the Gamecocks their first 11-win regular-season, non-conference record since the 2007-08 team went 11-4.
- Be the Gamecocks’ fourth road win this season, eclipsing last season’s total of three. The most true road wins in the Dawn Staley era was five in 2009-10.
By the Numbers
0 Games this season in which the Gamecocks have committed more turnovers than their opponent
2 Assists away from 300 for senior guard La’Keisha Sutton, who would become the 15th Gamecock to hit that mark and the first since Cristina Ciocan in 2002-03, and just the 11th Gamecock to hand out that many assists while also scoring at least 1,000 points
3 Gamecocks who averaged double-figure points in the last five games – Markeshia Grant 12.4, La’Keisha Sutton 10.8 and Aleighsa Welch 10.6
5 Games this season that have been decided by 25 or more points (all Gamecock victories), including four of the last five outings
5 Games this season, including each of the last four, in which the Gamecocks’ opponent never led – Savannah State, North Carolina, South Carolina State, Furman and Clemson
8 Of the 13 Gamecocks on the active roster that have recorded at least one double-digit scoring game – the group has combined for double digits in 29 outings
9 Games this season that have been decided by more than 10 points, all won by the Gamecocks
10 Votes received by South Carolina in the last two Associated Press polls
31 Margin of victory over then-No. 18/16 North Carolina, the largest by an unranked South Carolina team over a ranked opponent in school history
45 Margin of victory over SC State, the most decisive win of the Dawn Staley era, resetting the mark set one game earlier against Furman
Last Time Out
The Gamecocks closed their pre-holiday schedule with their fourth-straight victory, scoring a 65-39 win over Savannah State. Three players scored double figures, and South Carolina’s defense allowed fewer than 40 points for the fourth time this season.
Drexel Series Notes
The two teams have never met, although head coach Dawn Staley is 2-0 against Drexel from her days leading Temple. The Owls defeated their cross-town rivals by double digits in both games of the home-and-home series in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.
Road Warriors
South Carolina has a 182-231 (.441) all-time record on the road. The Gamecocks’ best season on the road was 1979-80 when they went 11-4. Under head coach Dawn Staley, South Carolina is 13-22 in road games. In her 11th season as a head coach, Staley has a 75-68 road record. The Gamecocks are 3-1 on the road so far this season, matching last season’s road win total. The most true road games South Carolina has won under Staley is five, which the 2009-10 team amassed. The Gamecocks have not won more than five true road games in a season since the 1990-91 squad went 6-4.
Locking It Down
South Carolina has held an opponent to 48 or fewer points seven times this season, the most since the 2006-07 squad limited its foes to that number eight times. The most games in a season with opponents netting 48 or fewer points is 11 in 2005-06. South Carolina has never lost a game when holding an opponent to 48 or fewer points, which it has done in a total of 108 games (two games in the 1980-81 season were later forfeited).
