No. 1 Gamecocks Set for Senior Day Sunday

No. 1/1 South Carolina closes out the regular season on Sun., March 3, against Tennessee with tipoff at Colonial Life Arena set for noon.

Fan Information

• The game is sold out, and doors at Colonial Life Arena will open at 10:30 a.m.
• Free parking and shuttle are available at Founders Park in the lot at Williams Street and Blossom. The shuttle will run 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.
• The Prisma Health mammogram truck will be parked outside Colonial Life Arena to do screenings every 15 minutes 10 a.m. – noon. Fans can schedule an appointment either on PrismaMyChart or by calling 803-434-3300 and must bring their insurance card and ID to their appointment.
• South Carolina women’s basketball will recognize its three seniors – Kamilla Cardoso, Te-Hina Paopao and Sakima Walker – in a pregame ceremony that will start at approximately 11:40 a.m.
• The first 3,000 fans will receive a Senior Day giveaway, and rally towels will be distributed upon entry as well.

The Tennessee Series
The Gamecocks are 13-49 all-time against the Lady Vols, but the mark is 12-12 in the Dawn Staley era (beginning 2008-09) including wins in the last five and eight of the last nine.

South Carolina claimed the first of this season’s two regular-season meetings 66-55 in Knoxville just 18 days ago. The Lady Vols led at halftime, but the Gamecocks’ depth wore the home team down in the second half, including an 18-7 fourth quarter that sealed the victory. Three Gamecocks finished in double-figure rebounds with Kamilla Cardoso and Ashlyn Watkins finishing with double-doubles.

By the Numbers
8 – Over the last two games, eight Gamecocks averaged at least 8.5 points, including six who averaged in double figures.

33.8 – South Carolina is second in the nation with 33.8 bench points per game, outscoring their counterparts by 20.9 points per game.

62.4 – The Gamecocks shot 62.4 percent over the last two games (78-of-125), including 51.6 percent from 3-point range (16-of-31).

Gamecock Notables

• South Carolina’s 19.2 assists per game rank eighth in the nation and are the second-most in program history (20.6 in 1988-89). The Gamecocks have assisted in 56.7 percent of this season’s field goals, the program’s best mark since 2014-15. Over the last five games, that number rose to 64.7 percent.

• South Carolina’s balanced offense has scored 54.5 percent of its points in the paint (47.6 ppg), 23.1 percent from 3-point range (20.1 ppg) and 22.4 percent elsewhere on the court (19.6 ppg).

• Player of the year candidate Kamilla Cardoso impacts the game on both sides of the ball, ranking among the SEC’s best in scoring and rebounding, field goal percentage and blocks per game. She has scored in double figures 22 times and blocked at least three shots 11 times in her 24 games.

• The nation’s top 3-point shooter Te-Hina Paopao is hitting 48.9 percent from beyond the arc, including 62.5 percent (5-of-8) over the last two games.

• Sophomore Raven Johnson is fifth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.9) and third in the SEC in assists per game (5.0).

• Columbia’s hometown finest have led the Gamecock offense over the last two games with MiLaysia Fulwiley and Ashlyn Watkins averaging 17.0 points eac on 52.9 and 83.3 percent shooting, respectively.

• Sophomore Chloe Kitts averaged 8.5 rebounds over the last two games and 7.0 over the last five, moving her into 18th in the SEC in rebounding average at 6.3.

• Junior Sania Feagin drew her first career start on Thursday night and continued her strong, steady play. She averaged 11.5 points and 7.5 rebounds over the last two games.

• Freshman Tessa Johnson averaged 9.7 points over the last three games on 69.2 percent (9-of-13) shooting, including 7-of-8 from 3-point range.

Home Sweet Home
The Gamecocks are 527-165 (.763) in home games (some records prior to 1976-77 did not include location of games). Current head coach Dawn Staley is 215-34 at home for a program-best .863 winning percentage.

South Carolina currently has a program-record 56-game home winning streak that began on Dec. 17, 2020.

Playing in its 22nd season at Colonial Life Arena, South Carolina boasts a 278-67 (.806) record in the building, including four undefeated seasons since 2013-14. Staley’s share of that record is 212-34 (.862).

In SEC action, South Carolina is 148-89 (.624) at home with Staley posting a 104-22 (.825) mark.

Dime Droppers
There are few things head coach Dawn Staley likes more than the extra pass. Long preaching that the ball will find who should shoot it, she has seen this year’s team bring that philosophy to life. The Gamecocks twice broke the program’s Staley-era record for single-game assists and have three games of 30 assists on the season. Their .567 assist percentage is the program’s highest since 2014-15 (.588).

The Gamecocks are eighth in the country with an SEC-best 19.2 assists per game and in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.5, also an SEC best. Five Gamecocks average at least two assists per game, including center Kamilla Cardoso’s 2.3.

Raven Johnson leads the way at third in the SEC with 5.0 assists per game. Her 17 assists against Clemson (Nov. 16) were the second-most in program history, the most by an SEC player since 2005 and the most by any NCAA Div. I player this season. She leads the SEC with a 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio, which ranks fifth in the NCAA.

Behind Johnson, Te-Hina Paopao is 10th in the SEC with 3.8 assists per game, and her 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio is fourth in the league.

Paint Production
South Carolina has long dominated the paint, and this season’s numbers have upheld that tradition, despite all the attention to the Gamecocks’ 3-point shooting. The season kicked off with 70 of the team’s 100 points against #10/10 Notre Dame (Nov. 6) coming in the paint, and seven other games have included at least half the total points coming in the paint.

With 54.5 percent of their points coming in the paint, the Gamecocks are out-scoring opponents in that space 47.6 to 22.9 (+24.6) for the season and by +22.5 points per SEC game (47.1-24.5). They are shooting 58.5 percent in the paint compared to opponents’ 37.7 percent accuracy inside.

Last season, South Carolina averaged 43.8 points in the paint to account for 54.6 percent of its offense.