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Gamecocks vs Lady Vols - Part 3
Women's Basketball  . 

Gamecocks vs Lady Vols - Part 3

No. 1/1 South Carolina is back in the SEC Tournament semifinals, facing Tennessee at 4:30 p.m. on Sat., March 9, in Greenville.

The Tennessee Series
The Gamecocks are 14-49 all-time against the Lady Vols, but the mark is 13-12 in the Dawn Staley era (beginning 2008-09) including wins in the last six and nine of the last 10. South Carolina swept the regular-season series by an average of 9.5 points.

 

By the Numbers

3 – The Gamecocks and Lady Vols are meeting for the third time in 23 days and the second time in the last seven days.

7 – South Carolina has reached 30 wins for the seventh time in the last nine seasons.

15.4 – The Gamecocks average 15.4 second-chance points per game on the season, including 13.4 per SEC game.

Gamecock Notables

  • South Carolina is 4-3 against Tennessee in SEC Tournament action with all four wins coming in the last four meetings. The Gamecocks won their first SEC Tournament title (2015) and their most recent one (2023) by defeating the Lady Vols in the final game.

  • Seven Gamecocks averaged at least 8.0 points over the last five games, including four in double figures.

  • At least five Gamecocks scored in double figures in 18 games this season with another nine games of four in double figures.

  • South Carolina’s bench averages 33.3 points, outscoring its counterparts by 20.5 points per game on the season. Over the last five games, the bench scoring has risen to 37.8 points per game compared to just a 10.8 average by its opponents.

  • Of the Gamecocks’ 30 wins, 19 were by 20 or more points with just four decided by single digits.

  • South Carolina has allowed an opponent to shoot 40.0 percent or better just four times.

  • All 10 players on the Gamecocks’ active roster shoot over 40.0 percent, including all five post players over 50.0 percent accuracy.

  • Over the last five games, eight Gamecocks have played at least 20.0 minutes per game.

  • Sophomore Tessa Johnson is the latest Gamecock to catch fire, averaging 9.2 points on 60.9 percent shooting over the last five games, including 72.7 percent (8-of-11) from 3-point range.

  • In her last three games back, All-SEC First-Team center Kamilla Cardoso averaged 15.3 points on 60.7 percent shooting to go with 7.7 rebounds per game.

  • Sophomore Ashlyn Watkins has scored in double figures each of the last four games, her longest streak of the season. Averaging 14.2 points in that stretch has lifted her season average to 10.0 points on 58.3 percent shooting.

Closing Out the Close Ones
While South Carolina leads the country in scoring margin (+31.5), the Gamecocks’ lead has been in single digits going into or during the fourth quarter eight times, including one game they trailed (by 4 at LSU, Jan. 25) and one that was tied (at Tennessee, Feb. 15) heading into the final 10 minutes.

South Carolina won all eight games, out-scoring its opponent by an average of 5.8 points in the final period. The Gamecocks posted a double-digit fourth-quarter edge in the three closest of those games – +13 at Duke, (Dec. 3), +11 at Tennessee (Feb. 15) and +10 at LSU (Jan. 25).

 

Glass Cleaners
The Gamecocks continue to dominate the glass, ranking second in the nation with 46.8 rebounds per game. According to Her Hoop Stats, South Carolina is fourth in the nation in rebounding percentage, securing 58.0 percent of the opportunities actually rebounded.

Their offensive glass work is strong, ranking ninth in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage at .401 (Her Hoop Stats). The Gamecocks’ 14.4 offensive boards have yielded 15.4 second-chance points, turning each offensive board into an average of 1.07 points. Against ranked opponents, that efficiency improves to 1.33 points per offensive board.

Three Gamecocks are among the SEC’s top-20 rebounders, led by Kamilla Cardoso’s 9.8 average, which ranks sixth in the SEC. Ashlyn Watkins stands 11th in the league with 7.2 rebounds per game, and Chloe Kitts has surged into 19th place with a 6.1 average.

Cardoso’s 3.6 offensive boards per game are third in the SEC, and she scores on 42.6 percent of those rebounds. Her 4.1 offensive boards per league game also ranked third. Watkins grabs 2.7 offensive boards per game (9th), including 2.6 per SEC outing (10th).

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 .572 assist percentage is the program’s highest since 2014-15 (.588). That number has been bolstered by a 67.2 percent mark over the last four games.

The Gamecocks are seventh in the country with an SEC-best 19.2 assists per game and ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.4, 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 is second in the SEC with a 2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio, which ranks ninth in the NCAA.

Behind Johnson, Te-Hina Paopao is 10th in the SEC with 3.7 assists per game, and her 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio is fourth in the league.

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