Dec. 16, 2014

South Carolina Game Notes

Game Information

Opponent: Hampton University (3-5)
Date: Wednesday, December 17, 2014 | 7 p.m.
Site: Hampton, Va.
Arena: Convocation Center (7,200)
Broadcast: HamptonPirates.com ($6)
Radio: 107.5 The Game (Brad Muller); GamecocksOnline.com
Live Stats: HamptonPirates.com
Series History: SC leads 1-0

South Carolina Notables

• South Carolina has shown that it can play, and win, a variety of ways this season. The Gamecocks have won under the best of circumstances – six wins by 20 or more points – and the tightest – three wins by 10 or fewer with two of those decided by five or fewer points – and with both a high-octane offense – 5-0 when scoring 70 or more points – and a more methodical one – 4-0 when scoring fewer than 70.
• The Gamecocks’ bench has accounted for 47.1 percent of its total offense this season while averaging 4.6 fewer minutes per game than the starters. Through nine games, the team’s top scorer has come from the starting lineup four times and from the bench five times.
• The Gamecocks rank eighth in the nation in field goal percentage with an SEC-best mark of .492. The accuracy is not the product of one hot hand, but instead of five Gamecocks who are shooting at least 50.0 percent from the field.
• South Carolina’s offensive efficiency frequently stems from each Gamecock’s willingness to find the best shot instead of her best shot. In addition to a high assist number – fourth in the nation with an SEC-best 20.0 – their sharing has resulted in no one attempting 10.0 or more field goals per game. Freshman A’ja Wilson leads the group with 9.6FGA per game en route to her team-high 14.3 ppg, while senior Elem Ibiam attempts just 5.1 shots per game for her 8.3 scoring average.
• The Gamecocks are among the nation’s most sure-handed teams, ranking third in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.7.
• Sophomore Alaina Coates has posted four double-doubles this season and ranks fourth in the SEC in rebounding with 8.4 boards per game. She has reeled in at least 10 boards in each of the last three games.

Notes

A South Carolina Win Would…

• Make the Gamecocks 10-0 for the third-straight season, matching the Staley-era best start in 2012-13 and 2013-14.

By the Numbers
2 Games in which South Carolina has committed fewer than 10 turnovers, helping the Gamecocks rank 11th in the nation in turnovers per game (12.1)
4 Double-doubles by Alaina Coates this season, second-best in the SEC
5.2 Made 3-pointers per game by the Gamecocks this season, including two games of 9 3s – Syracuse (Nov. 28) and San Diego State (Nov. 23) – which ties the Staley-era record achieved seven times in her previous six seasons
6 Games in which South Carolina has handed out at least 20 assists, including Staley-era record of 26 against NC Central (Dec. 1), to help team to fourth in the nation in assists per game (20.0)
7 Statistical categories in which South Carolina ranks among the nation’s top 10
8 Gamecocks who are at least 6′ tall, including four who are 6’4″ or taller
10 Assists by Tina Roy vs. Savannah State (Dec. 14), who became the first Gamecock to handout double-digit assists in the Dawn Staley era.
19 Career double-doubles by senior forward Aleighsa Welch, leaving her one shy of tying for 10th in school history – her eight in SEC action are tied for third
47.1 Percent of this season’s scoring that has come from the bench (342 of 726)
957 Career points for junior Tiffany Mitchell, leaving her 43 shy of becoming the 30th Gamecock to reach 1,000

Two Grand
Junior guard Tiffany Mitchell is closing in on 1,000 career points, sitting 43 points away from joining teammate Aleighsa Welch at the milestone. The last time the Gamecocks boasted two 1,000-point scorers on the same team was 2001-02 when Shaunzinski Gortman and Jocelyn Penn both reached that plateau. In program history, there have been nine seasons that featured multiple 1,000-point scorers, including three seasons that saw three Gamecocks who surpassed the benchmark.

Diversified Assets
South Carolina ranks eighth in the nation in field goal percentage at 49.2 percent, yet just one Gamecock ranks among the SEC’s best in field goal percentage – the league and the NCAA require a minimum of five made field goals per game to qualify. Only freshman A’ja Wilson reaches that mark with 5.1, and her .535 field goal percentage is fifth-best in the league. In all, each of the Gamecocks’ top five scorers shoot over 50.0 percent from the field with none attempting more than 10 shots per game.

Win Any Way
As the Gamecocks’ baseball coach, South Carolina athletics director Ray Tanner frequently used the saying “Win Anyway,” and the women’s basketball team has put its own twist on the quote this season. The Gamecocks have not lost a game this season, but the end has not always come by the same means. Dawn Staley’s team has won with both a high-flying offense and a more methodical one, posting records of 3-0 when scoring 90+ points, 2-0 when scoring 80-89 points, 1-0 when scoring 70-79 points, 2-0 with scoring 60-69 points and 1-0 when scoring 50-59 points. The Gamecocks have won both inside – 4-0 when shooting less than 33.3 percent from 3-point range, 4-0 when at least half of points come in the paint – and outside – 5-0 when shooting 33.3 percent or better from 3-point range, 5-0 when less than half of points come in the paint. South Carolina has seen its top scorer come from both the starting lineup (4-0) and the bench (5-0). The one standard for the Gamecocks – this season and throughout Staley’s career – has been their defense. South Carolina is fourth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 48.1 points per game with no opponent scoring more than 63 points.