Gamecocks Open Three-Game Homestand Wednesday
Women's basketball hosts Dayton on Wednesday ahead of #4/5 Baylor's visit on Sunday.
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 18/19 South Carolina women’s basketball (3-3) hosts the first of three home games Wednesday night against Dayton. Tipoff at Colonial Life Arena is set for 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6 p.m. The offense was dialed in over the Thanksgiving holiday, and seven Gamecocks average at least 6.0 points per game this season.
SOUTH CAROLINA NOTABLES
• Tonight marks the first meeting between the Gamecocks and Flyers, but South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley has an 8-3 mark against Dayton from her time as Temple’s head coach.
• South Carolina’s offense found its footing in Vancouver, shooting 43.9 percent from the field to average 84.7 points. The Gamecocks turned it over just 11.3 times per game for a +6.0 turnover margin at the event.
• Senior forward Alexis Jennings returned to her dominant play in Vancouver last weekend, especially against #9/8 Oregon State (Nov. 23). She posted the season’s first double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds in 31 physical minutes against the Beavers’ lengthy frontline.
• South Carolina’s leading scorer Te’a Cooper ranks seventh in the SEC with 16.8 points per game, including 19.3 points per game in last weekend’s Vancouver Showcase. Cooper has been the most competitive when the game gets the tightest. In the last five minutes of the Gamecocks’ closest games – Clemson, #9/8 Oregon State, Drake – Cooper averages a team-best 5.7 points, including going 5-of-7 from the free throw line in that stretch.
• Junior guard Tyasha Harris has again lifted her scoring average this season – 9.3 points per game. The Gamecocks are 25-3 all-time when she scores in double figures.
BY THE NUMBERS
7 Gamecocks who average at least 6.0 points per game
22.2 Turnovers forced per game by the Gamecocks this season, which ranks 35th in the nation
63.5 Percent of points scored by Gamecock guards this season
DAYTON SERIES HISTORY
Tonight marks the first meeting between the two programs. South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley has a lengthy history with the Flyers, though, from her years at Temple. The Atlantic 10 Conference rivals played 11 times in Staley’s eight seasons with the Owls with an 8-3 record.
VAN CITY VISION
South Carolina went 1-2 in the Vancouver Showcase last week, losing its last two games by a combined seven points as each went down to the wire in regulation time.
Despite the record, several bright spots emerged from the event.
• Te’a Cooper posted the season’s first 20- and 30-point games with 22 points against #9/8 Oregon State and 31 vs. Drake.
• Alexis Jennings posted the season’s first double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds against #9/8 Oregon State
• The Gamecocks out-rebounded #9/8 Oregon State, whose frontcourt averages 6-foot-5, including a 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-7 forward.
• The team shot 39.3 percent (24-61) from 3-point range.
FREE FOR ALL
South Carolina continues to go to the free throw line at one of the highest rates in the nation, and, for the first time in several seasons ranks among the SEC’s best in free throw percentage.
The Gamecocks’ 109 free throws are tied for eighth in the nation, and they rank 18th in free throw attempts (151). South Carolina is shooting 72.2 percent from the charity stripe to rank second in the SEC.
Four Gamecocks are shooting at least 80.0 percent from the free throw line, led by Mikiah Herbert Harrigan’s 86.7 percent (13-15). Elysa Wesolek (.857), Tyasha Harris (.824) and Bianca Jackson (.800) also hit the mark.
Te’a Cooper leads the team in volume, hitting 25-of-32 from the stripe.
LG – LIFE’S GOOD
Sophomore LeLe Grissett is likely the most active and agile forward on the Gamecocks’ roster, and her high motor has been crucial to the pressure defense that has changed the complexion of several games already this season.
Offensively, Grissett averages 6.0 points on 58.3 percent field goal shooting with both numbers on the rise. Taking out a tough shooting day in the season opener, she is 12-of-17 from the field (.706) for 6.4 points per game to go along with 5.0 rebounds per game over the stretch. On the season 12 of her 22 rebounds have come on the offensive end.
