Women's Basketball . January 30, 2021

No. 4/3 Gamecocks Back at Home Sunday

#4/3 SOUTH CAROLINA (13-1, 8-0) VS. ALABAMA (12-3, 5-3)
3 P.M. | COLUMBIA, S.C. | COLONIAL LIFE ARENA (3,500)

ABOUT THIS GAME

South Carolina has won its last 17 games against Alabama, which is every game of the Dawn Staley era.
South Carolina is looking for its 25th straight SEC regular-season victory tonight, which would be its longest SEC win streak in program history. Including three wins in the 2020 SEC Tournament, the Gamecocks have defeated an SEC opponent 27 straight games.

GAMECOCK NOTABLES

The Gamecocks is locked in defensively in SEC play, leading the league in scoring defense (60.1 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (.372). Just one conference rival has scored more than 70 points (#15/16 Arkansas, 82), and, in fact, just two non-conference opponents exceeded that mark as well – vs. South Dakota 71, vs. #21/20 Gonzaga 72. All three games still yielded South Carolina victories.
The Gamecocks’ offense may be dominated by its two preseason national player of the year candidates Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke, but Staley’s sustained success has long been built on multi-faceted teams. In the last three games, six different Gamecocks have scored in double figures at least once, even as the team’s total scoring dipped below 70 for the first time in SEC play in two of those outings. In the last five games, all five starters averaged double-figure points.
Called “low maintenance and high performance” by her head coach, team captain Victaria Saxton has proven she can more than hold her own in a star-studded starting lineup. She has more than doubled her previous career scoring average (4.8 ppg) to post 10.3 ppg this season to go with her 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting 61.2 percent from the field. Saxton has four double-digit rebound games and has scored in double figures six times, including three of the last five games. Her 13-point, 11-rebound double-double at #21/19 Mississippi State (Jan. 28) was her first against a ranked opponent and included six offensive boards.
Unanimous AP Preseason All-American Aliyah Boston is making a strong case for player of the year honors both in the SEC and the country. Averaging a double-double for the season (14.2 ppg/11.4 rpg) against SEC teams (16.3/12.6) and against ranked opponents (14.3/11.4), she has posted seven double-doubles (19th in the country), including five in the Gamecocks’ eight SEC games. She has pulled in double-figure rebounds in eight straight games, the longest streak by a Gamecock since Alaina Coates’ 10-game stretch Jan. 3-Feb. 4, 2016, which also came against all SEC teams, including five ranked opponents.
Sophomore Zia Cooke seems to be shaking off her brief scoring slump, hitting double figures in the last three games with her field goal percentage back on the uptick, especially when the game is in the balance. Thursday at #21/19 Mississippi State, she was 5-of-11 in the first half for 13 of her game-high 19 points in the victory. The young guard has been locked in on film study with Staley to continue to evaluate everything from her shot selection and non-scoring contributions to her body language during games.
Senior LeLe Grissett has been a bit of Swiss Army Knife this season, playing everywhere from point guard to power forward. She has been especially strong in the last two games, averaging 9.5 points on 58.3 percent shooting, 2.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds.

BY THE NUMBERS

6 South Carolina’s six wins over nationally ranked opponents are the most in the country. Four of those victories came on the road or a neutral court.

11 The Gamecocks have attempted 20 or more free throws in 11 games this season, including seven of eight SEC games.

25 The Gamecocks have appeared in the top five of the last 25 AP Polls, the longest active streak in the country.

45.6 In SEC play, Destanni Henderson touches 45.6 percent of the Gamecocks fast break points (21.4 ppg). She has scored 5.8 ppg and assisted on 4.0 ppg.

50.8 South Carolina’s 50.8 rebounds per game lead the nation, and its SEC-best 18.3 offensive rebounds per game are fourth.