SEC Tournament Semifinal Saturday vs. Tennessee
SEC TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS
#7/7 SOUTH CAROLINA (20-4, 14-2) VS. #14/16 TENNESSEE (16-9, 9-4 SEC)
6:30 P.M. | GREENVILLE, S.C. | BON SECOURS WELLNESS ARENA
Bon Secours Wellness Arena No Bag Policy | South Carolina Game Notes | WATCH: ESPNU | LISTEN: 107.5 The Game | Live Stats
GAMECOCKS IN THE SEC TOURNAMENT
- The Gamecocks are 24-24 all-time in SEC Tournament action, including a 21-7 mark under head coach Dawn Staley.
- The 2020 SEC Tournament champion, South Carolina has won five of the last six tournament titles and is the only team in league history to win four consecutive titles at the event (2015-18).
- Under Staley, the Gamecocks are 5-2 in SEC Tournament semifinal games.
- South Carolina is 7-2 in SEC Tournament games played in Greenville and won two of their five titles in Bon Secours Wellness Arena (2017, 2020).
- The Gamecocks are 4-2 all-time when playing the tournament as the No. 2 seed, including three wins en route to the 2018 title. They were also seeded second in 2002 and 2019.
- South Carolina is 2-3 against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament, but the Gamecocks have won the last two meetings at the event – 2015 Championship Game (62-46), 2018 Quarterfinals (73-62).
GAMECOCK NOTABLES
- While the Lady Vols claimed the regular-season meeting between the two teams, South Carolina has won three of the last four outings against Tennessee and each of the last two SEC Tournament matchups.
- Friday night against Alabama, South Carolina turned nine offensive rebounds into 16 second-chance points. On the season, the Gamecocks, who rank fifth in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (16.7), average 1.03 points per offensive rebound while limiting opponents to just .83 points per offensive rebound.
- The Gamecocks’ ball movement Friday night helped their field goal percentage skyrocket. South Carolina shot 48.4 percent from the field with 14 assists, their highest numbers in both areas since shooting 49.2 percent with 15 assists at Auburn on Feb. 4.
- Junior point guard Destanni Henderson continues to thrive in the SEC Tournament, following up her 2020 All-Tournament selection with 18 points and five assists Friday night. Over the last two tournament, Henderson is averaging 14.3 point and 4.8 assists, shooting 54.8 percent (23-40) from the field
- Aliyah Boston’s rebounding dominance in the SEC Tournament as she is pulling in 11.8 rebounds per career game at the event, in addition to shooting 52.9 percent from the field (18-34). Boston has two double-doubles in four career SEC Tournament games.
- Sophomore guard Zia Cooke has a team-high five 20-point games this season, including in two of her last four outings to average 18.9 points in that stretch. Her game-high 22 points against Alabama Friday night marked her first 20-point game in an SEC Tournament.
- In just her sophomore season, Aliyah Boston already ranks 10th on the SEC active career rebounding list (592) and fourth on the blocks list (154). Her block total ranks sixth in Gamecock history, and her 68 blocks this season are eight in the program’s single-season record book. Boston’s 26 career double-doubles are 10th in school history, and with 16 of them coming in SEC regular-season play, she is third in program history, trailing just Alaina Coates (27) and A’ja Wilson (21).
- Destanni Henderson’s three 3-pointers Friday night against Alabama was her fifth such game this season and her second 3-of-3 outside shooting night of 2020-21. She is the team’s most accurate 3-point shooter at 44.3 percent.
BY THE NUMBERS
3 South Carolina has won three of the last four meeting against Tennessee.
10 The Gamecocks have 20 wins in a season for the 10th time in the 13 seasons of the Dawn Staley era.
17 Aliyah Boston has pulled down double-digit rebounds 17 times through 24 games this season.
56.0 South Carolina has scored 56.0 percent of its 77.6 points per game this season in the paint.
71.4 The Gamecocks’ 71.4 field goal shooting in the first quarter against Alabama was their highest in a quarter since the season opener vs. College of Charleston.