Recap of 2019-20 Women's Basketball Season

FINAL RANKING: AP #1, USA TODAY/WBCA #1
SEC REGULAR-SEASON CHAMPION // SEC TOURNAMENT CHAMPION 
32-1 OVERALL  //  16-0 SEC  //  13-1 VS. RANKED

• South Carolina finished atop both national polls for the first time in program history. The Gamecocks’ held the top spot in the AP Poll for 10 weeks, longer than any other team this season.
• South Carolina claimed its fifth SEC regular-season title in seven seasons and their fifth SEC Tournament crown in the last six seasons. Owns two of the four 16-0 SEC records in league history.
• South Carolina’s high-powered offense ranked sixth in the nation with a school-record 82.0 points per game and only scored less than 80 points 13 times in 33 games. While no Gamecock ranked among the SEC’s top 15 in scoring, four appeared in the next four slots.
• The South Carolina bench was one of the most dominant in the conference and arguably in the country. With the same starting lineup all season, the six Gamecocks off the bench averaged 26.3 points per game  – 32.1 percent of the offense – led by Destanni Henderson’s 8.5 points per game.
• South Carolina’s defense was 20th in the country, yielding just 56.1 points per game, including just 62.7 points per game against ranked opponents. It held an opponent to single digits in 28 quarters across 20 games, including five against ranked teams. The Gamecocks also led the nation in blocks per game (8.6).
• The Gamecocks’ balanced effort yielded a school-record +25.9 scoring margin to rank sixth in the nation.
• The Gamecocks’ 46.5 rebounds per game broke a 32-year-old school record and ranked second in the nation. Their school-record +12.4 rebound margin ranked third in the country, and their 44.0 percent offensive rebounding rate led the nation.
• As has long been a staple, South Carolina dominated the paint on both ends of the floor. The Gamecocks averaged 42.4 points in the paint (51.6 percent of total offense) while allowing opponents just 25.8 points per game there. The paint scoring was evenly distributed between posts (51.1%) and guards (48.9%).

• Dawn Staley became the first former Naismith Player of the Year (1991, 1992) to go on to be named Naismith Coach of the Year. She was the unanimous national coach of the year across all outlets who bestow that award.
• Aliyah Boston became the Gamecocks first National Freshman of the Year and was the unanimous choice for the award across all outlets who bestow that award.
• Senior Tyasha Harris became the third Gamecock in the Dawn Staley era to finish the season as a finalist for all three national player of the year awards – Naismith Trophy, Wade Trophy, Wooden Award. She joined Tiffany Mitchell and A’ja Wilson in that category.
• Boston joined former Gamecock Alaina Coates as the only to SEC Freshmen of the Year in league history to also win another of the SEC’s highest individual awards as she added SEC Defensive Player of the Year to her award haul.
• Senior Mikiah Herbert Harrrigan earned her first All-SEC selection and punctuated an outstanding season by picking up SEC Tournament MVP honors after averaging 14.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in the event.
• Boston became the first player in NCAA Div. I women’s basketball history to open her career with a triple-double – 12 points, 12 rebounds, 10 blocks vs. Alabama State on Nov. 5, 2019.
• Seniors Tyasha Harris and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan both reached the career 1,000-point mark.
• When Zia Cooke scored 27 points at Dayton (Nov. 13), it was the most points by a Gamecock freshman since Dec. 2009. She added three 20-point games against SEC opponents for the most by a Gamecock freshman.
• Brea Beal finished the season with five double-digit rebound games, including a double-double in the SEC Tournament championship game. She first hit the mark in her second and third career games, making her the first freshman with back-to-back double-digit rebound games since Wilson in 2014-15.