Jan. 15, 2014
Game Information
Opponent: No. 25/21 Texas A&M (13-4, 3-0 SEC)
Date: Thursday, January 16, 2014, 8 p.m. (ET)
Site: College Station, Texas
Arena: Reed Arena (12,989)
TV: Fox Sports Southwest (Ron Thulin, play-by-play; Brenda VanLengen, analyst)
Radio: WNKT 107.5 FM/WISW 1320 AM (Brad Muller); GamecocksOnline.com
Live Video: None
Live Stats: AggieAthletics.com
Series History: TAMU leads 2-0
South Carolina Notables
- South Carolina is 16-1 overall and 4-0 in SEC play for just the second time in school history, matching the start of the 2001-02 team. With a win Thursday, this year’s squad would hold the program record for best start to a season.
- Defense will be on display tonight as the Gamecocks and Aggies are tied atop the SEC in field goal percentage defense in league games. In SEC action, Texas A&M leads the league in scoring defense (50.0 ppg), while the Gamecocks are third.
- SEC offenses are clearly guard dominated this season with just 23 of the league’s top-30 scorers coming from that position. The Gamecocks have the most productive frontcourt as the only team with multiple non-guard entries on the list in junior forward Aleighsa Welch (13.6 ppg, 14th) and freshman center Alaina Coates (12.4 ppg, 22nd).
- Between her scoring and assists, sophomore guard Tiffany Mitchell has had a hand in 30.6 percent of the team’s scoring this season – 15.6 ppg scoring, 7.3 ppg scored on her assists.
- Center Alaina Coates was named SEC Freshman of the Week for the second-straight week and the third time overall this season. She is the only freshman to rank among the league’s top 20 rebounders and top 25 scorers. She is averaging 14.8 points and 11.3 rebounds in SEC play, ranking 13th in scoring and second in rebounding.
Notes
A South Carolina Win Would…
- Give the Gamecocks a 5-0 record in SEC play and a 17-1 record overall for the first time in school history.
- Be the Gamecocks’ first over Texas A&M since the Aggies joined the SEC in 2012-13.
- Be the Gamecocks’ first in the state of Texas since a 81-62 win over SMU in Dallas on Jan. 13, 1983, and give the Gamecocks a 5-2 record in the state, including three wins en route to the program’s lone national title – the 1979 National Women’s Invitational, which concluded in Amarillo.
By the Numbers
1 Team with two players listed among both the SEC’s overall top 25 in scoring and top 20 rebounding – Aleighsa Welch (16th/11th) and Alaina Coates (22nd/6th)
2 Blocks needed by junior center Elem Ibiam to move into the program’s top 10 in single-season blocked shots, tying Michelle Murray’s 1992-93 total of 43
3 Categories in league play in which freshman center Alaina Coates ranks among the SEC’s top five – blocked shots (1st, 3.3), rebounding (T-2nd, 11.3) and field goal percentage (2nd, .605)
4.3 Assists per SEC game handed out by sophomore Asia Dozier to rank 11th in the league
6 Blocks needed by Alaina Coates to tie the school record for blocks in a season by a freshman (42 by Lakesha Tolliver in 2004-05)
6 Games this season in which sophomore guard Tiffany Mitchell has had a hand in at least one-third of the offense (points plus assists), highlighted by helping to deliver 52.2 percent of the Gamecocks’ 69 points against Winthrop (Dec. 20)
9 Games in which South Carolina has shot at least 50.0 percent from the field this season after reaching the mark just 12 times in the previous five seasons under Staley
10 Opponents who have been held to 55 or fewer points by the Gamecocks this season, helping the Gamecocks rank third in the nation in scoring defense (49.9 ppg)
35 Weeks in which the Gamecocks have ranked 10th or higher in the Associated Press poll all-time, including four this season. South Carolina’s best ever ranking was No. 2, which it held for three weeks in Dec. 1981.
61.1 Percent of field goals made this season that have been assisted – with five games of at least 70.0 percent of field goals assisted
Texas A&M Series Notes
The Aggies lead the series 2-0 after winning both the regular-season and SEC Tournament matchups with the Gamecocks. Both games were close contests with the first one at Colonial Life Arena decided by a single basket as the then-No. 14 Aggies snuck past the then-No. 15 Gamecocks 50-48 on Feb. 10, 2013. South Carolina hoped to exact revenge in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, but the Texas A&M took advantage of a cold-shooting night to move into the semifinals with a 61-52 victory.
Five-Second Count
For the first time in her tenure at South Carolina, head coach Dawn’s Staley’s Gamecocks look different – on the court and in the box score. After seasons of building around defense, Staley finally as a group that is designed for offensive efficiency. The Gamecocks are scoring more (75.0 ppg) and more efficiently (.486 FG %age – 1st in SEC, 4th in nation) than at any time in the Staley era. And, after seasons of talented guards generating their own offense, Staley’s 2013-14 success is predicated on getting the ball inside – three primary post players combine to score 47.6 percent of the team’s points – and on ball movement creating the best shots as 61.1 percent of made field goals have been assisted. Defense is still a staple of the program with the Gamecocks ranking second in the SEC and third in the nation, allowing just 51.2 points per game. Only six of 17 opponents this season have scored 55 or more points against South Carolina.
