Nov. 18, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 4/3 South Carolina hosts the first three games of the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge Sunday-Tuesday at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks (1-0) welcome Hampton, Maine and Saint Peter’s to Columbia in three straight days of doubleheaders before all four teams travel to Springfield, Mass., for the final day of games in the inaugural event. Fans should note parking adjustments for Monday and Tuesday games at this link.

South Carolina Notables

• South Carolina begins its 43rd season of women’s basketball tonight and its ninth under the tutelage of head coach Dawn Staley.
• The Gamecocks enter the season ranked in the top five of both the AP and USA Today/Coaches Polls. South Carolina is one of two programs in the nation to appear in every AP top five since the start of the 2014-15 season and one of three to appear in every top 10 in that time.
• South Carolina’s high-octane offense was on full display in the season opener at No. 7/6 Ohio State as the Gamecocks netted 92 points, which tied the program’s highest scoring game against a top-10 opponent — 2/10/82 vs. No. 10 Memphis, 92-67).
• In its inaugural season, the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge begins with eight teams playing at two sites — South Carolina and Louisville — with the four teams crossing over to face each other in a four-game event at MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass., on Sun., Nov. 27.
• South Carolina’s Kaela Davis and Allisha Gray are the top two scorers in the SEC through the first week of action, averaging 37.0 and 24.0 points, respectively.
• Perennial SEC rebounding leader Alaina Coates is back on top of that list again this season with 13.0 boards per game. Davis is sixth in the league with 10.0 rebounds per game.
• Gray’s 55.6 percent field goal shooting is sixth-best in the SEC through the season’s first week. She is also tied for the league lead in assist-to-turnover ratio with three assists and no turnovers.

By the Numbers

2 Returning starters from last season’s NCAA Sweet 16 squad, both of whom are All-Americans
11 Games this season against an opponent ranked in at least one of this week’s top-25 polls, including three top-10 matchups in the first three weeks
37 Points by junior transfer Kaela Davis at #7/6 Ohio State, the most by a Gamecock since Ieasia Walker netted 30 against Clemson on Nov. 18, 2010
66.7 Percent shooting by the Gamecocks in the fourth quarter at #7/6 Ohio State, the highest of the game
75 Appearances in the AP Top 25 in the 79 polls released since the start of the 2012-13 season

Hampton Series Notes

The Gamecocks lead the all-time series 3-0 with a win in Columbia, one at Hampton and one in St. Thomas, USVI. That neutral-site win at the Paradise Jam on Nov. 22, 2012, launched the series and was a hard-fought defensive battle that the Gamecocks claimed 45-34. Two years later, South Carolina opened a home-and-home series with the Lady Pirates in Hampton, Va., with a 69-49 victory (12/17/14) behind a hot-shooting second half that included six 3-pointers from then-senior Tiffany Mitchell. Last season, the Lady Pirates came to Columbia to face then-No. 2 South Carolina on Dec. 16, 2015. The Gamecock defense stymied Hampton early, and the offense cranked up in the second half of an 86-48 victory at Colonial Life Arena.

Maine Series Notes

These two programs have met once before on the hardcourt with the Gamecocks claiming a 56-53 win over the Black Bears on Nov. 30, 1991, as part of the Downeast Classic in Bangor, Maine.

Saint Peter’s Series Notes

Tuesday marks the first meeting between these two programs.

Home Openers

South Carolina is 6-2 in home openers under head coach Dawn Staley with an overall record of 31-9 all-time in the first game of the season on its home court. The Gamecocks have won their last five home openers with the last loss coming against then-No. 5 Xavier on Nov. 12, 2010.

Alai-ja Awaits

Opponents may be inclined to think of the paint as the Gamecock-owned continent of Alaija as senior center Alaina Coates and junior forward A’ja Wilson have firmly planted the flag in the lane on both ends of the court. Earning All-America and First-Team All-SEC status last season, the duo averaged a combined 27.3 points, 18.5 rebounds and 4.2 blocks. In the Gamecocks’ 15 games against ranked opponents, the pair were even more dominant with 29.7 points per game, 20.3 rebounds per contest and 4.9 blocks per outing.

KD for 3

Junior transfer Kaela Davis wasted little time making her mark on the Gamecock program, opening her South Carolina career with a 37-point, 10-rebound, five-assist effort at No. 7/6 Ohio State (Nov. 14). The proverbial boxscore stuffer, Davis went 4-of-6 from behind the arc and handed out three assists as well. Davis established herself as an elite scorer in two seasons at Georgia Tech, where she became the fastest Yellow Jacket to 1,000 career points, needing just 52 games to hit the mark, and was a two-time First-Team All-ACC selection.

Gray Area

Junior transfer Allisha Gray may be the Gamecocks’ most quiet assailant. The unassuming six-foot guard amassed 1,000 points in her first two seasons at North Carolina and opened her South Carolina career with a 24-point outing at No. 7/6 Ohio State that included 10-of-18 shooting and some of the most momentum-killing baskets of the game. The do-it-all contributor added seven rebounds, three assists and two steals to her workman-like performance against the Buckeyes.