Women's Basketball . December 2, 2020

Top-10 Battle at Colonial Life Arena Thursday

#1/1 SOUTH CAROLINA (2-0) VS. #6/8 NC STATE (2-0)
7 p.m. | COLUMBIA, S.C. | COLONIAL LIFE ARENA (3,500)

ABOUT THIS GAME

South Carolina and NC State have met four times in the Dawn Staley era with the Gamecocks winning the first three and the Wolfpack claiming the most recent matchup – 55-53 on Dec. 4, 2011, in Raleigh.
The Wolfpack leads the all-time series 19-11. Prior to tonight, four games of the series have seen both teams ranked in the top 10. The Gamecocks won the first three of those games, all played in the 1979-80 season.
Under Staley, the Gamecocks are 77-61 against ranked opponents, including a 61-14 mark when they are ranked higher than their opponent. In the last six seasons, they are 23-16 against top-10 opponents.

GAMECOCK NOTABLES

South Carolina’s 93.0 points per game ranks 20th in the nation and comes on the heels of last season’s program-record 82.0 points per game. The Gamecocks have scored at least 79 points in each of their first three games this season.
The Gamecocks have been most dominant in the third quarter this season, averaging 28.3 points and out-scoring their opponents by an average of 16.0 points in the period. Two of the team’s four 30-point quarters have come in the third.
South Carolina is out-scoring opponents in the paint this season 53.3-32.7 (+20.6). Field goals in the paint account for 84.6 percent of the team’s total, and 68.2 percent of those have been made by guards.
Junior guard Destanni Henderson was named the SEC Player of the Week this week after capturing Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic MVP honors. She poured in 21.0 points per game on 58.3 percent shooting at the tournament. Against South Dakota, Henderson was one rebound shy of her first career double-double. She scored all of her career-high 23 points against #21/20 Gonzaga in the second half, including hitting four of the team’s six free throw attempts in the final minute to seal the victory and the tournament title.
Sophomores Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke have been named to the preseason watch lists for all three National Player of the Year Awards.
Boston has been getting the lion’s share of the attention from opposing defenses this season but has still scored in double figures in every game, shooting 50.0 percent from the field.

BY THE NUMBERS

7.3 South Carolina ranks 11th in the country with 7.3 blocked shots per game.

8 Eight Gamecocks are shooting at least 50.0 percent from the field this season, including four of five starters.

9 South Carolina’s 23-game schedule features nine games against teams ranked in the preseason top 25.

12 The Gamecocks have been ranked No. 1 in each of the last 12 AP Polls to be released, dating back to Jan. 14, 2020. It matches the longest streak in program history.

53.3 South Carolina is averaging 53.3 points in the paint per game this season, including 44.0 against ranked opponents.