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Women's Hoops Back on the Road at Arkansas Thursday
Women's Basketball  . 

Women's Hoops Back on the Road at Arkansas Thursday

No. 1/1 South Carolina travels to Arkansas for its final regular-season road game Thursday night. Tipoff in Fayetteville is set for 9 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

The Arkansas Series
The Gamecocks are 26-18 all-time against Arkansas, including a 19-4 record in the Dawn Staley era (beginning 2008-09). Ten of the 18 total losses came in Fayetteville.

South Carolina has won the last eight meetings, including a pair of victories last season. The Gamecocks won 92-46 in Columbia on Jan. 22, then advanced to the SEC Tournament semifinals with a 93-66 win over the Razorbacks on Mar. 3 in Greenville, S.C. The Gamecocks dominated the glass in both games, including a program record for rebounds in an SEC game with 74 in the opener.

 

By the Numbers
3 – South Carolina has shot over 60.0 percent from the field three times this season, including 64.4 percent at Kentucky Thursday night.

50.0 – Te-Hina Paopao shot 50.0 percent from 3-point range over the last five games (14-of-28), including two games of five made 3s.

62.4 – South Carolina assisted on 62.4 percent of its field goals over the last five games, including a season-high 78.9 percent at Kentucky.

Gamecock Notables

  • South Carolina’s 103 points at Kentucky Thursday night marked its program-record sixth 100-point game this season. It was just the fifth time a Gamecock team reached 100 points in an SEC regular-season game and the first since a 104-82 win over Arkansas on Jan. 18, 2021. That game came on the heels of a 106-43 win at Vanderbilt on Jan. 14, 2021.

  • The Gamecocks are top 10 in the nation in both scoring offense (87.0 ppg, 3rd) and defense (54.1 ppg, 8th) and are the only team among the top 30 of both.

  • In SEC play, South Carolina has most asserted its dominance in the third quarter, outscoring its opponents by an average of 7.6 points in that period.

  • Senior Te-Hina Paopao’s steady production has her leading the SEC in player offensive rating (127.7) and the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (.489). She has scored in double figures 19 times and shot at least 50.0 percent from 3-point range 16 times.

  • Junior Bree Hall has found a new rhythm to her offense, averaging 15.5 points on 14-of-19 (.737) shooting, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range, over the last two games. She surge has her up to 10.1 points per game on the season.

  • Sophomore Ashlyn Watkins continues to surge toward SEC 6th Woman of the Year honors, averaging a team-high 11.8 points and 7.0 rebounds over the last five games. She has four double-doubles in the last eight games, including two of the last four.

  • Junior Sania Feagin has averaged 13.0 points and 7.5 rebounds over her last two outings, while adding four assists, six blocks and a steal in that stretch.

  • Sophomore Chloe Kitts has been steady on the glass with her SEC career-high 12 at Kentucky capping a three-game stretch during which she averaged 8.7 boards to move into 18th place in the league with 6.3 rebounds per game on the season.

Keep It a Buck
South Carolina has reached 100 points six times this season, setting the program record for 100-point games in a season. The 2020-21 team still holds the program record for SEC 100-point games in a season at two.

The Gamecocks opened the season hitting the 100-point mark in three straight games, the longest such streak in program history. South Carolina’s 114 points against Maryland were the second-most in program history and the most against a ranked opponent.

 

Glass Cleaners
The Gamecocks continue to dominate the glass, ranking third in the nation with 46.5 rebounds per game. According to Her Hoop Stats, South Carolina is fifth in the nation in rebounding percentage, securing 57.5 percent of the opportunities actually rebounded.

Their offensive glass work is strong, ranking 10th in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage at .394 (Her Hoop Stats). The Gamecocks’ 13.9 offensive boards have yielded 15.4 second-chance points, turning each offensive board into an average of 1.11 points. Against ranked opponents, that efficiency improves to 1.33 points per offensive board.

Three Gamecocks are among the SEC’s top-15 rebounders, led by Kamilla Cardoso’s 10.1 average, which ranks fifth in the SEC and 29th in the nation. Ashlyn Watkins stands 12th in the league with 7.3 rebounds per game, and Chloe Kitts surged into 18th place with a 6.3 average.

Cardoso’s 3.4 offensive boards per game are fourth in the SEC, and she scores on 44.3 percent of those rebounds. Her 3.9 offensive boards per league game rank third. Watkins grabs 2.7 offensive boards per game (12th), including 2.5 per SEC outing (11th).

Block Party
South Carolina annually ranks among the best shot blocking teams in the country and leads the way again this season at 8.5 blocks per game – the second-ranked team averages 6.5 (Boise St). The Gamecocks have blocked 18.7 percent of their opponents’ 2-point attempts this season, which leads the nation.

The Gamecocks have posted the top three shot-blocking games in the nation this season, led by their school record-tying 17 against Presbyterian (Dec. 16).

The SEC’s top two shot blockers – Kamilla Cardoso (2.9) and Ashlyn Watkins (2.6) – are ranked ninth and 14th in the nation, respectively.

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