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Sept. 19, 2014

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley announced today the NCAA has approved an initial eligibility waiver for freshman Doniyah Cliney that has allowed her to enroll in school but not compete for the Gamecocks in the 2014-15 season. The guard will focus on academics in the fall semester with an opportunity to begin practicing with the team beginning in the spring semester.

“We are happy that Doniyah is on campus and acclimating to college academics,” Staley said. “We know what she could add to our team on the court, but it is even more important that we first support her academically. I look forward to her joining our practices in the spring and then being able to put on a game uniform next season.”

Cliney, a six-foot product of Newark, N.J., was ranked the 13th-best guard in the 2014 class and helped Malcolm X Shabazz to state titles in her final two seasons. The honorable mention all-state selection averaged 13.4 points, 3.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds as a senior. She shot 48 percent from the field, including 39 percent from 3-point range.

South Carolina is set to open the 2014-15 season with an exhibition game against Coker on Sun., Nov. 2, at Colonial Life Arena with the regular season tipping off on Sat., Nov. 15, against Southern California to open a three-game homestand.