A'ja Wilson Birthday Takeover of SEC Network
COLUMBIA, S.C. – SEC Network is celebrating the birthday of South Carolina alumna A’ja Wilson with eight hours of her Gamecock games on Sun., Aug. 8, beginning at noon ET. The four games selected span the breadth of her career as the most decorated student-athlete in South Carolina history.
The takeover, which was not able to re-air any NCAA Tournament games, begins at noon with a replay of her freshman year late-game herocis at Duke. Ranked No. 1 in the country, the Gamecocks were locked in a defensive battle against then-No. 9 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium, which felt much like Colonial Life Arena as Gamecock fans filled the court-side seating. The Blue Devils led by four the 42 seconds to play, but Wilson and the Gamecocks would not be denied.
At 2 p.m., fans can watch Wilson help the Gamecocks clinch their fourth-straight SEC Regular-Season Championship (Wilson’s third). In the 2016-17 National Championship season, then-No. 7 South Carolina topped then-No. 22 Kentucky 95-87 behind 25 poitns and 10 rebounds from Wilson.
A pair of games from Wilson’s senior season (2017-18) cap the broadcast schedule. At 2 p.m. fans can relive Wilson’s Senior Day victory over then-No. 24 LSU, 57-48. Wilson’s 27 points and 24 rebounds made her the first Gamecock to post a 20-20 game since Sheila Foster against UCLA on Jan. 5, 1982.
In the finale, SEC Network will air what Wilson recently called her most memorable game – the 2018 SEC Tournament title game. As the No. 2 seed in the event, many national pundits expected the Gamecocks to cede their three-year reign as SEC Tournament champions to perennial runner-up Mississippi State. Instead, Wilson posted 16 points, including 10 in the second half, to become the first player on SEC history to go undefeated through the four SEC Tournament appearances in her career.
On Sunday, Wilson – the Gamecocks’ first National Player of the Year, four-time All-American, WNBA No. 1 Draft Pick and WNBA MVP – will be celebrating her 25th birthday. She is currently competing with in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as the U.S. looks to continue its streak of Olympic gold medals, which currently stands at six. The U.S. will face Japan in the gold medal game on Sat., Aug. 7, at 10:30 p.m. on NBC.
Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWBB) for the most up-to-date information on the women’s basketball season.
