Women's Basketball . October 27, 2024

Gamecocks Set for Final Tuneup Monday Night

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 1/1 South Carolina will host Clayton State in an exhibition game on Mon., Oct. 28. Tipoff at Colonial Life Arena is set for 7 p.m.

FAN INFORMATION
Admission to the exhibition game is free with general admission seating in all sections, except selected marked seats reserved for team use.

Parking in lots immediate around Colonial Life Arena will be $20 per car, cash only.

Gamecock Notables

Tonight’s game marks the first time South Carolina has played two exhibition games in a season. This is the Gamecocks’ first exhibition game against Clayton State and the third time they’ve played an exhibition against a team from Georgia.
Since 2009-10, South Carolina is 16-0 in exhibition games against colleges, winning those games by an average of 54.3 points.
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley is entering her 25th season as a head coach and her 17th leading the Gamecocks. She has led South Carolina to seven 30-win seasons since 2015-16, including the last three seasons capped by the 2023-24 undefeated run to the National Championship. The Gamecocks are 109-3 over the last three seasons.
The Gamecocks shot 52.6 percent from the field in their exhibition game, including 64.3 percent in the third quarter (9-of-14). Chloe Kitts and Joyce Edwards each posted a double-double in the game with Edwards’ 19 points leading the offense.
South Carolina’s 2024-25 schedule includes 12 games against teams ranked in the preseason national polls. Five of those games are in non-conference action against teams in the top 11.
SEC coaches and media picked the Gamecocks to repeat as league champions this season. It marks the fourth time in the last five years South Carolina was predicted to claim the SEC title. Both groups voted Te-Hina Paopao on the Preseason All-SEC First Team and MiLaysia Fulwiley and Raven Johnson the second team.
South Carolina Athletics announced last week that it will retire the jersey of A’ja Wilson on Feb. 2 prior to the Gamecocks’ game against Auburn. It will be the second women’s basketball jersey retirement in the last two seasons and will bring the program’s total number of retired jerseys to five – #13 Martha Parker, #14 Shannon Johnson, #25 Tiffany Mitchell, #53 Sheila Foster.
The Gamecocks’ first SEC Player of the Year Tiffany Mitchell, who had her jersey retired last fall, will be inducted into the South Carolina Letterman’s Association Hall of Fame this Friday (Nov. 1). Jocelyn Penn, who played basketball for the Gamecocks 1999-2003 and was part of the program’s first NCAA Elite Eight team, will also be inducted.

An Uncommon Season
South Carolina women’s basketball has been UNCOMMON since Staley’s arrival as she brought her reputation as an elite international player and coach to a program that had been mired in the highly competitive SEC. From day one, her approach to everything from team meals and travel to building the fan base through one-on-one interactions had not been seen before in Columbia.

Today, South Carolina women’s basketball is the benchmark for the sport with three National Championships, including two in the last three seasons, and Staley is widely considered the voice and vision for her sport. But, what makes the program UNCOMMON goes beyond the tangible measures of success.

Staley has built a program based on players trusting the process, sacrificing for the good of the team and understanding that commitment will lead them to realize their individual dreams as well as the team’s goals. Those actions come from the feeling, the culture of a program based on love and embracing the joy of being part of it.

As always, the FAMS are a key part of this season’s theme. They are UNCOMMON in their commitment to supporting the program from Columbia to Paris and every stop in between, building their vacation plans and days off work around the Gamecocks’ schedule.

Looking Back at Memphis
South Carolina traveled to Memphis, Tenn., to play in the inaugural Hoops for St. Jude® Tip Off Classic on Oct. 15, and came away with a 106-63 win over the hometown Memphis Tigers.

The Gamecocks established their lead in the first quarter (25-11) with a solid defensive effort, allowing just 27.3 percent shooting, and stretched in the third (32-18) behind 64.3 percent shooting from the field and 93.3 percent accuracy from the free throw line in the period.

Freshman Joyce Edwards had a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double by halftime in just 11 minutes on the court. She finished the game shooting 6-of-11 (.545) and grabbing six offensive boards as part of her 19-point, 12-rebound effort.

Junior Chloe Kitts also delivered a double-double with 15 points and 13 boards in just under 20 minutes of play.

As importantly, South Carolina fans donated over $15,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® as part of the event.

Exhibition Action
Since the rule change to allow exhibition games between colleges went into effect for the 2009-10 season, South Carolina is 16-0 in exhibition games, including two against NCAA Div. I opponents.

This season’s exhibition at Memphis was the Gamecocks’ first exhibition game on the road. And, this is the first time South Carolina has played two exhibition games in a season.