Women's Hoops at 'Bama Sunday
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 1/1 South Carolina women’s basketball goes back on the road this weekend, heading to Alabama for a 1 p.m. ET tipoff with the Crimson Tide on ESPN2.
The Alabama Series
South Carolina leads the overall series 30-15 and has won the last 20 meetings, including the last eight played in Tuscaloosa.
The most recent meeting was an 83-51 decision on Feb. 3, 2022, in Columbia, where the Gamecocks dominated the first two quarters to take a 53-24 lead into halftime.
By the Numbers
2 – South Carolina is one of two teams to rank among the nation’s top 10 in scoring offense (8th, 82.9) and scoring defense (1st, 45.7).
23.7 – The Gamecocks have blocked 23.7 percent of opponents’ 2-point field goal attempts, according to Her Hoop Stats.
51.1 – South Carolina leads the SEC in offensive rebounding percentage in league play, corralling 51.1 percent of its own misses.
Gamecock Notables
-
Based on opponent win percentage, South Carolina has played the 31st-toughest schedule in the nation, which ranks ninth among nationally ranked teams.
-
Over the last five games, the Gamecock bench has averaged 92.2 minutes, 35.8 points and 23.6 rebounds. It has accounted for 42.4 percent of the offense and 49.2 percent of rebounds in that stretch.
-
After a program-record rebounding performance against #rv/22 Arkansas (Jan. 22), the Gamecocks lead the nation in rebounding average (51.1) and rebounding margin (+22.7) and are second in offensive rebounds per game (18.4).
-
The Gamecocks have scored 55.7 percent of their points in the paint (46.2 ppg) while limiting opponents to just 20.8 paint points per game on 34.8 percent shooting.
-
Seniors Brea Beal and Aliyah Boston were among 15 players named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year this week. Boston is the reigning title holder, while it is Beal’s first watch list selection for the award.
-
According to Her Hoop Stats, Aliyah Boston leads the nation in player defensive rating (61.0) and is fifth in player offensive rating with an SEC-best mark of 137.0. She is the only player ranked in the top five of both categories.
-
Zia Cooke started the season hot and just keeps climbing. In 12 non-conference games, the senior averaged 14.1 points on 41.1 percent shooting, including 37.5 percent from 3-point range. In SEC action, those numbers rose to 18.5 points per game on 45.7 percent shooting and 39.1 percent 3-point accuracy.
-
Kamilla Cardoso averaged a double-double over the last five games – 10.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg – including double-doubles in her last two outings. Her 31 rebounds in the last two games included 14 offensive boards, off which she scored 13 of her total 22 points.
Road Ready
The Gamecocks are 294-260 (.531) all-time in road games, including a 119-46 mark (.721) under head coach Dawn Staley. Her .721 winning percentage on the road is the best in program history. In SEC road games, Gamecocks are 82-33 (.713) during Staley’s tenure.
This season, South Carolina’s 8-0 road record is the second-best in the nation with its eight road wins coming in third.
Rebounding Roundup
South Carolina is routinely among the top rebounding teams in the country and has not dropped off this season.
The Gamecocks rank among the nation’s top two in rebounding margin (1st, +22.6), rebounding average (2nd, 51.1) and offensive rebounds (2nd, 18.4. South Carolina is securing 50.2 percent of its own missed shots, which is leads the nation and has delivered 20.1 second-chance points per game.
South Carolina has been out-rebounded just once this season (41-47 at #2/2 Stanford, Nov. 20) and only four other games have had a single-digit rebounding margin. The Gamecocks’ 74 rebounds against Arkansas were a program record for SEC games, and their +57 rebounding margin (74-17) was a program record.
Aliyah Boston (9.7, 2nd in SEC, 31st in NCAA) and Kamilla Cardoso (8.4, 4th in SEC) lead the rebounding effort and, are two of the top three offensive rebounders in the SEC as well – 3.5 and 3.8 per game, respectively, with Cardoso ranking 16th in the nation in that stat.
