Gamecocks Face Utes in BHOF Women's Showcase

No. 1/1 South Carolina faces its fourth top-25 team of the season on Sunday, taking on #11/7 Utah in the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase in Uncasville, Conn. It is the second of the event’s three games at the Mohegan Sun Arena with tipoff set for 2:30 p.m.

The Utah Series
The Gamecocks and Utes have never met in women’s basketball. South Carolina does have some history against Pac-12 teams, though, with a 20-11 mark against nine of the current teams in the league.

By the Numbers

3 – The Gamecocks’ three wins over ranked opponents are tied for most in the country (Stanford).

57.1 – Over the last three games – 2 road, 1 home – South Carolina has shot 57.1 percent (24-of-42) from 3-point range.

68.3 – The Gamecocks have allowed their three ranked opponents to scored just 68.3 points per game on 35.0 percent shooting.

Gamecock Notables

• The Gamecocks’ depth is among the best in the nation with the bench ranking third in the nation with 37.1 points per game, including 35.3 ppg vs. ranked teams.

• South Carolina’s ability to wear down and adapt to opponents shows up in the second and fourth quarters being the Gamecocks’ most productive on both sides of the ball. Their scoring margin in the second quarter is the best at +14.3 with the fourth close behind at +12.1.

• The Gamecocks are ninth in the nation in 3-point shooting at 40.0 percent. But, the paint is still the program’s bread and butter with 60.8 percent of its field goal attempts coming from that area. South Carolina has more than doubled its opponents’ paint output, 52.0 to 20.5 points per game.

• Of South Carolina’s five non-conference games against ranked opponents this season, just two of those are home games – 2 neutral, 1 road.

• The Gamecocks’ outside shooting has been more efficient against ranked opponents than unranked this season as they have hit 45.1 percent from 3-point range in three games against ranked teams compared to 37.1 percent vs. unranked opponents.

• National Player of the Year candidate and two-time USBWA National Player of the Week selection Kamilla Cardoso has dominated the paint this season on both sides of the ball. Averaging a double-double, her 11.5 rebounds per game are sixth in the nation, and her .613 field goal percentage is 17th. She is fifth in the nation with 3.25 blocks per game as well.

• Senior Te-Hina Paopao continues to rank among the nation’s best outside shooters, ranking 11th in percentage at .528. She is the team’s top scorer against ranked opponents at 14.0 points per game (12.9 ppg overall). Her 3.71 assists per game overall go up to a team-best 6.0 per game against ranked foes.

Neutral Stance
The Gamecocks are 161-96 (.626) all-time on a neutral court. South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley is 78-27 in games played at neutral sites (.743), including a 29-10 (.744) record in regular-season outings on neutral courts.

Ranked Readings
Against ranked teams, South Carolina is 109-67 (.619) in the Dawn Staley era (beginning 2008-09), and even that mark is skewed by the early seasons of her tenure. Since the start of the 2014-15 campaign, the Gamecocks are 94-28 (.770) against ranked teams.

This season, South Carolina is 3-0 vs. ranked teams, and those three wins are tied with Stanford for the most by any ranked team this season.

Bench Mob
Any question about South Carolina’s bench points falling off with last season’s top bench scorers moving into the starting lineup were dispelled early. The Gamecocks’ six-woman bench is third in the nation with 37.1 points per game.

Last season, the Gamecocks led the nation with 36.1 bench points per game. The second-place team (Georgia Southern) turned in 31.2.

Glass Cleaners
The Gamecocks continue to have a dominant rebounding effort, leading the nation with 52.8 rebounds per game, According to Her Hoop Stats, South Carolina is sixth in the nation in rebounding percentage, securing 60.5 percent of the rebound opportunities actually rebounded.

Their offensive glass work is equally strong, ranking 24th in the country (3rd in SEC) with 15.8 offensive boards per outing, which have yielded 19.1 second-chance points per game. Her Hoop Stats ranks South Carolina seventh in the country in offensive rebounding percentage at .432

Three Gamecocks average at least 6.0 rebounds per game, led by Kamilla Cardoso’s 11.5 average, which ranks sixth in the nation (2nd in SEC). Chloe Kitts is next in line at 6.6, and Ashlyn Watkins rounds out the trio at 6.3.

Cardoso’s 3.5 offensive boards per game are third in the SEC, and Watkins is not far off with 2.63 offensive rebounds per game.