Women's Basketball Hosts Furman Sunday

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 25/- South Carolina returns to Colonial Life Arena on Sun., Dec. 30, to host Furman at 2 p.m. The Gamecocks (7-4) are in their final tuneup before SEC play begins, while the Paladins (7-5) will have one more non-conference game before embarking on their SoCon schedule.

SOUTH CAROLINA NOTABLES
• The Gamecocks’ 3-point shooting has picked up in recent games with South Carolina hitting 42.7 percent (32-of-75) over the last three outings. The effort includes two of the four double-digit 3-pointer games this season as the Gamecocks hit 14 against Appalachian State (Dec. 5) and 15 vs. Temple (Dec. 21).

• As South Carolina’s frontcourt has gotten more healthy, so has their scoring average. The six forwards have scored 30.6 points per game over the last five outings, accounting for 39.8 percent of the Gamecocks’ points while playing just 37.6 percent of the team’s minutes in that stretch.

• Since returning to the starting lineup vs. Appalachian State (Dec. 5), junior forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan has averaged 11.3 points on 50.0 percent field goal shooting, 8.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. She was crucial to the team’s double-overtime win at Purdue (Dec. 16) with her first career double-double (19 pts/15 rebs).

• Junior guard Tyasha Harris sprinted into the holiday break, averaging a team-high 13.6 points and 5.0 assists over the last five games, including 6.7 assists per game over the last three outings. She has handed out at least six assists in each of the last three outings and shot at least 50.0 percent from the field in four of her last six outings.

• Sophomore LeLeGrissett has become the Gamecocks’ top rebounder at 5.5 per game. She supplanted senior Alexis Jennings as the category leader thanks to 7.6 rebounds per game over the last five games, including her first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds against #4/5 Baylor (Dec. 2). 
 

BY THE NUMBERS
3 Assists needed by Tyasha Harris to move into the program’s top 10 in career assists

7.6 Rebounds per game by LeLe Grissett over the last five games to move into the team lead for the season

50.0 Percent field goal shooting by Mikiah Herbert Harrigan over the last three games

83.3 Points per game by the Gamecocks over the last three outings

FURMAN SERIES NOTES
South Carolina and Furman renew their in-state series for the first time since the 2012-13 season with the Gamecocks leading 12-1. Nine of the games in the series, which dates back to the 1975-76 season, have been played in Columbia, including the last five. South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley has won both her matchups with the Paladins

The Gamecocks’ lone loss in the series was a 101-84 decision in Greenville on Jan. 25, 1995.

THREE FOR ALL
In addition to playing faster, the Gamecocks are looking to expand their outside shooting game, and they wasted little time showing off that new commitment.

With 10 made 3s in the season opener at Alabama State (Nov. 11), South Carolina reached double digits in that category for just the ninth time in the Dawn Staley era and the first since Mar. 25, 2017. The Gamecocks have since added three more double-digit 3-pointer games – 11 vs. ETSU (Nov. 22). 14 vs. App State (Dec. 5) and 15 vs. Temple (Dec. 21). The Staley-era record for made 3s in a game is 16 against Minnesota on Dec. 11, 2016.

The Gamecocks’ 68.8 percent 3-point accuracy against ETSU (11-of-16) was the best percentage in the Staley era. So far this season, South Carolina is hitting 34.2 percent from outside the arc. The Staley-era season record for 3-point percentage is .3495 (130-of-372) set by the 2014-15 team.

Individually, junior Te’a Cooper leads the 3-point barrage hitting 16 3s in 47 attempts –  both team highs. Freshman Destanni Henderson leads the accuracy race, netting 45.5 percent (10-of-22) from beyond the arc. Junior Tyasha Harris (12) and sophomore Bianca Jackson (11) have also needed double-digit 3s already this season.