Women's Basketball Monday Tip Brings Vandy to Town
#1/1 SOUTH CAROLINA (17-1, 5-1) VS. VANDERBILT (10-9, 1-4)
JANUARY 24, 2022 | 7 P.M. ET | COLUMBIA, S.C. | COLONIAL LIFE ARENA (18,000)
GAMECOCK NOTABLES
- Monday’s game wraps up the 11th We Back Pat Week in the SEC, during which all 14 member institutions focus on bringing awareness and recognition to the Pat Summitt Foundation, a fund of East Tennessee Foundation, and its fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
- The Gamecocks’ rebounding prowess has at near record levels this season as the current 46.9 rebounds per game (third-best in the NCAA) are just off last season’s program record 47.0 mark. South Carolina leads the nation in rebound margin (+17.3) and has been out-rebounded just once in its last 51 games dating back to the 2019-20 regular-season finale.
- South Carolina is ninth in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (16.3) and have scored 16.4 second-chance points per game, including a season-high 31 such points against Texas A&M (Jan. 13).
- In SEC play, the Gamecocks’ bench has averaged 14.3 points per game compared to just 6.8 points per game from their opponents’ benches. The bench rebounding numbers are just as solid with 14.7 per game for South Carolina and 7.3 for opponents. No surprise that post players are dominating the two categories with Laeticia Amihere leading the bench scoring (6.6) and Kamilla Cardoso on top of rebounding (5.4).
- National Player of the Year candidate Aliyah Boston’s 11 straight double-doubles are the fourth-most by an SEC player in the last 20 seasons, one shy of tying Texas A&M’s N’dea Jones and Auburn’s Unique Thompson for second place. LSU’s Sylvia Fowles holds the SEC record at 19.
- Senior forward Victaria Saxton has been on a tear in 2022, ranking second on the team with 6.0 rebounds per game and fourth in scoring at 9.0 points per game over the stretch, during which she has shot 69.2 percent from the field. On the season, Saxton’s 3.0 offensive rebounds per game rank her fifth in the SEC.
BY THE NUMBERS
1.01 – South Carolina averages 1.01 point per offensive rebound this season.
+6.8 – The Gamecocks are outscoring opponents by 6.8 points per third quarter this season. That scoring margin jumps to 7.3 in SEC play.
75.2 – South Carolina has rebounded an SEC-best 75.2 percent of its opponents’ missed shots this season.
NOTES
The Vanderbilt Series
South Carolina is 21-19 all-time against Vanderbilt with a 14-2 mark in the Dawn Staley era, including the last 13 straight meetings.
In last season’s trip to Nashville, the Gamecocks’ defense allowed Vandy just five field goals in the first half, including a scoreless second quarter en route to a 106-43 victory on Jan. 14, 2021.
Vanderbilt’s last trip to Colonial Life Arena was on Feb. 17, 2020, and resulted in a 95-44 Gamecock triumph. South Carolina’s offense exploded out of the gate with a 30-10 first quarter and a 52-21 lead by halftime behind 56.8 percent shooting.
Home Sweet Home
The Gamecocks are 489-165 (.748) all-time in home games, including a 177-34 mark under head coach Dawn Staley. That .839 winning percentage is second among the program’s all-time head coaches (Pam Parsons (41-7) .854).
Playing in its 19th season at Colonial Life Arena, South Carolina boasts a 240-67 (.782) record in the building, including three undefeated seasons since 2013-14. Staley’s share of that record is 174-34 (.837).
Henny-thing Goes
Senior point guard Destanni Henderson is coming into her own in her final collegiate season, proving that trust in the process works. Entering the program as the No. 1 point guard in the Class of 2018, she waited her turn to step in to the starting role – even accepting a star bench position as a sophomore instead of clamoring for a starting role at another guard spot.
In two seasons as the starting point guard, Henderson is handing out 4.9 assists per game, including 25 games with five or more, and has a 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio. Her 12.3 points per game in that time includes 41.1 percent shooting from 3-point range.
The increased scoring as a starter helped Henderson join the 1,000-point club at Arkansas on Jan. 14.
Ready to Cooke
A prolific scorer from the minute she got to campus, Zia Cooke averages 13.5 points for her career. In 82 career games, she has hit double-digit points 63 times – 76.8 percent of her games – including 13 20-point outings.
The junior preseason All-American hit 1,000 career points on Dec. 12 and has scored in double figures in every SEC game to average 14.8 points per league game so far.
