Women's Basketball Exhibition Friday Night
#8/10 SOUTH CAROLINA (0-0) VS. #15 NORTH GEORGIA (0-0)
7 P.M. | COLUMBIA, S.C. | COLONIAL LIFE ARENA (18,000)
South Carolina Game Notes | Live Stats | Season Ticket Information
ABOUT TONIGHT’S GAME
- Admission is free and all seating is general admission. Doors will open at 6 p.m. Season parking passes for Lots A and B will be honored. Parking is available for $10 in the Discovery Garage as well as in Lot B.
- The Gamecocks and North Georgia have never met in women’s basketball.
- North Georgia enters the 2019-20 season ranked 15th in the country.
- Both teams return six letterwinners, including a pair of starters, from last season.
- The Nighthawks went 30-5 last season, including Peach Belt Conference regular-season and tournament titles and an NCAA Division II Southeast Region Championship.
PARKING INFORMATION
- Season parking passes for Lots A and B will be honored.
- Parking is available for $10 in the Discovery Garage as well as in Lot B.
- FREE parking is available in the Pendleton Street Garage (corner of Pickens and Pendleton). The free shuttle from that location, which departs and returns to Pickens Street, begins at 3:45 p.m. and will run until one hour after the game ends.
GAMECOCK NOTABLES
Staley’s 20th
South Carolina is celebrating Dawn Staley’s 20th season as a head coach this season, averaging 23.4 wins through her first 19 seasons. In 11 seasons at South Carolina, she has won 122 SEC games to rank second among active league coaches and eighth all-time. Her 11.1 SEC wins per season is the best all-time among coaches with at least 10 seasons in the league, and her .701 winning percentage is second only to Tennessee’s Pat Summitt in league history.
Ranking Review
The Gamecocks are in the top 10 of all three preseason polls released in recent weeks. ESPN and the AP have South Carolina at No. 8, while the USA Today/WBCA Poll slotted the Gamecocks in at No. 10.
South Carolina has appeared in the AP Poll for 132 consecutive weeks, the fifth-longest active streak in the nation. In those 132 weeks, the Gamecocks have spent 92 in the top 10, including 63 in the top five and 12 at No. 1.
Schedule Strength
With the release of the three preseason polls, the Gamecocks found out just how challenging their 2019-20 schedule is. South Carolina will play 10 games against teams ranked in at least one of the polls
Four of the top-25 opponents are non-conference games beginning with No. 4/5 Maryland (Nov. 10). At the Paradise Jam, South Carolina will open and close against ranked opponents as Indiana is ranked No. 24 in the espnW poll and Baylor is No. 2 in all three polls. No. 5/4 UConn awaits the Gamecocks in February.
Five SEC teams are ranked in the preseason with South Carolina set to open league play against No. 13/16 Kentucky (Jan. 2). No. 6/7 Texas A&M, No. 10/8 Mississippi State, No. 22/22 Arkansas and Tennessee, ranked 25th by espnW, all visit Colonial Life Arena this sesason as well.
Senior Salute
Seniors Tyasha Harris and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan opened their careers on the Gamecocks’ 2017 National Championship team and will close their careers with significant other entries in the program record books.
Both are closing in on 1,000 career points, and Harris has her sights on the program’s all-time career assists mark, needing just 102 to tie it. Herbert Harrigan has long been a significant shot-blocking presence, holding a top-five spot in that career category.
Four More
South Carolina has four other returning letterwinners this season, all angling for more time on the court.
Junior guard/forward LeLe Grissett rounds out the Gamecocks’ trio of upperclassmen – the third fewest of any team in the country. Her versatility appeals to Staley, and Grissett has been fully health throughout preseason for the first time.
Of the three sophomores, two bring SEC All-Freshman honors back to their second campaign. Destanni Henderson and Victaria Saxton both showed flashes of their ceiling during SEC play last season, so their experience will benefit the Gamecocks early.
5 = 1
The Gamecocks’ five freshmen make up the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation. Included among them are four of the top 11 signees in the Class of 2019.Expectations are high outside the program, and they don’t dip much from those who have watched the class’ progression through the preseason. Turning heads in the weight room and on the court, all five have come to the program eager to learn and thrive.
No. 3 in the class, forward Aliyah Boston gives the Gamecocks that big post player who thrives on contact. her power will be a tremendous complement to veteran forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan.
The No. 4 entry in the class is Zia Cooke, who has wowed fans on social media and is dialing in her game at the college level. The dynamic, quick point guard is a threat on both sides of the ball.
Forward Laetica Amihere was the No. 10 recruit in the class and has been in full practice for much of the preseason following her Fall 2018 injury. Though she will be on limited minutes early, her length and agility will be a problem for opponents whenever she is on the court.
No. 11 in the class, Brea Beal has drawn comparisons to former Gamecock Allisha Gray with her ability play positions 1-4 on the court. Her size can create mismatches anywhere on the floor.
Hometown sharp-shooter Olivia Thompson rounds out the class. She has shown strides throughout practice, especially on the defensive end.
Great Gamecock Fans
South Carolina fans have led the nation in average attendance in each of the last five seasons. The Gamecocks have drawn over 10,000 fans per game each season – often the only team in the country to hit that mark – thanks to a season-ticket base the tops 9,000, which it does again this season.
