Thursday Night Hoops at Colonial Life Arena

#5/6 SOUTH CAROLINA (10-1) VS DUKE (7-3)
7 P.M.  |  COLUMBIA, S.C.  |  COLONIAL LIFE ARENA (18,000)

South Carolina Game Notes | WATCH: SECN | LISTEN: 1320 AM/107.5 FM | Live Stats | Media Availability

ABOUT THIS GAME

• Mother Nature won the most recent scheduled matchup between the Gamecocks and Blue Devils (12/9/18) when an ice storm hit the Triangle, preventing South Carolina’s trip to Durham.
• The Gamecocks lead the series 4-2 and have won three of the last four – all in the Dawn Staley era. At least one team has been ranked in every meeting, including four in which both teams were nationally ranked. 
• Fans of both teams were invited to participate in a Teddy Bear Toss at the beginning of halftime. All stuffed animals will be shared with various organizations in Columbia and Durham.

PARKING INFORMATION

• Parking is available for $10 per vehicle in the Discovery Garage and the City Garage (located near Pendleton, Park and Lincoln Streets). (See parking map here)
• FREE parking is available in the Pendleton Street Garage (corner of Pickens and Pendleton). The shuttle from that location, which departs and returns to Pickens Street, begins two hours before tipoff and runs until one hour after the game ends. (See campus and shuttle map here)

GAMECOCK NOTABLES

• The South Carolina offense has to be one of the toughest for opponents to scout because the “breakout scorer” can be anyone at any time. With the team ranked 15th in the nation in points per game (81.0), no individual Gamecock is among the nation’s top 250 in scoring average but four average double figures with a fifth just off the mark at 9.5 ppg. Seven games have seen a Gamecock score 15 points, and only four have featured a 20-point scorer. 
• The Gamecocks dominated the paint against Purdue (50-14), but not in the traditional sense. Guards posted 34 of the 50 paint points with their relentless attack on the rim.
• South Carolina’s defense has yielded 60 or more points just twice in 11 games this season and has held a pair of nationally ranked opponents under the mark. A disruptive mentality has the Gamecocks ranked third in the nation in field goal percentage defense with seven opponents hitting less than one-third of their shots against them.
• Senior forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan has dominated all columns of the box score this season, especially the last five games. During that stretch, she leads the team with 14.6 ppg, is second with 6.4 rpg and also averaged 1.6 assists and 1.4 blocks. Her 53.6 percent shooting includes 3-of-5 accuracy from 3-point range.
• Sophomore guard Destanni Henderson found her spark over the last three games, averaging 11.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals during the stretch. Her defensive focus and ability to hit a timely shot propelled her to 29.0 minutes per game in that time as well. 
• Tyasha Harris and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan are among the 19 most experienced players in Div. I women’s basketball this season, making the Gamecocks one of four teams with multiple entries on career games played top-20 list. (Harris 118, Herbert Harrigan 114).

BY THE NUMBERS

4 South Carolina guards have out-scored its forwards in the paint four times this season – Alabama State (30-20), at Maryland (14-12, at Clemson (24-20), Purdue (34-16).

8 The Gamecocks have eight games on the schedule against teams ranked in this week’s AP top 25. They are 2-1 in those games so far.

9 Senior forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan has scored in double figures in nine straight games, including two 20-point outings, to lead the team in scoring at 13.7 ppg.

12.0 South Carolina is out-scoring its opponents in transition by 12.0 points per game (17.5-5.5).

23.8 The Gamecocks average 23.8 points per first quarter this season on 52.8 percent shooting in the opening 10 minutes. Both numbers are the best of any quarter.

+28 Ranked 24th in the nation on the season in rebound margin (+10.8), South Carolina out-rebounded Purdue by 28 (56-28) on Sunday.