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Another Top-20 Road Test for Gamecocks Monday
Women's Basketball  . 

Another Top-20 Road Test for Gamecocks Monday

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 2/2 South Carolina travels to No. 17/17 Tennessee for its fifth-straight game against a ranked opponent. Monday’s tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

Gamecock Notables

  • South Carolina’s 41.6 points per game in the paint rank eighth in the nation, just behind Tennessee’s 41.9 per game. The Gamecocks have already played the top four teams in that category, allowing only one (UCLA) to out-score them in the paint and holding all four at least 10 points below their average.

  • The Gamecock defense has been especially staunch in SEC action, leading the league in scoring defense (56.1), field goal percentage defense (.327), 3-point percentage defense (.239) and blocks per game (7.0).  It has done a bulk of that damage over the last five games, during which opponents – including four ranked teams – have managed just 54.6 points per game on 30.7 percent shooting, including 20.7 percent from 3-point range.

  • Senior forward Sania Feagin has been steadily stamping her authority on the Gamecocks’ inside game on both sides of the ball, culminating in the last five games that saw her average 10.4 points (3rd on the team), 7.0 rebounds (2nd on the team) 5.0 blocks (1st on the team) and 2.0 assists while shooting 67.7 percent from the field – all while battling opposing centers.

  • Freshman forward Joyce Edwards has worked her way into the Freshman of the Year conversation, not with gaudy season numbers (12.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg) but with her impact on the Gamecocks’ success. The team’s top scorer on the season, she has paced the squad in a team-high eight games this season, including each of the last three. Her 14.3 points per SEC game have come on an SEC-best 61.9 percent shooting.

  • South Carolina has “done nothing but win” with Raven Johnson, according to her head coach, and that success is grounded in her intangibles – defense, ability to run a team and confidence to meet the moment. The quantifiable parts of Johnson’s game include 2.0 steals per SEC game (7th), league-best 4.0 assist-to-turnover ratio in league play, a Gamecock-guard leading 4.6 rebounds per game.

  • Senior guard Te-Hina Paopao continues to lead the Gamecock offense against ranked opponents with her 12.1 points per game, 53.8 percent shooting and 46.2 percent from 3-point range all above her overall season numbers.

 

By the Numbers
2.86 – South Carolina guards account for 2.86 of the team’s SEC-best 7.0 blocks per league game.

6 – Six Gamecocks average at least 8.9 points in SEC action – three guards and three forwards.

8 – South Carolina’s eight wins over ranked teams are three more than any other team. All eight have been by at least 11 points.

 

The Tennessee Series
The Gamecocks are 15-49 all-time against the Lady Vols but have a 14-12 mark in the Dawn Staley era, including winning the last seven meetings. South Carolina swept all three meetings against the Lady Vols last season with Tennessee closing the margin as the series, which spanned all of 26 days, went on.

The most memorable game of the stretch was the SEC Tournament semifinal (Mar. 9) last-second 3-pointer from center Kamilla Cardoso that delivered a 74-73 victory to preserve the Gamecocks’ undefeated season. The Lady Vols had rallied back from a 60-48 deficit with a strong fourth quarter before the South Carolina escape.

In the 2023-24 regular-season finale in Columbia (Mar. 3), South Carolina again held off a late Tennessee charge in the 76-68 victory that saw five Gamecocks finish in double figures. The series opened with a 66-55 contest in Knoxville (Feb. 15) that was tied going into the fourth quarter before the Gamecock defense locked in to hold the Lady Vols to seven points on 22.2 percent shooting in the final period.

 

Road Ready
The Gamecocks are 315-262 (.546) all-time in road games (some records prior to 1976-77 did not include location of games), including a 140-46 mark (.753) under head coach Dawn Staley, giving her the best road winning percentage in program history. In SEC road games, the Gamecocks are 97-33 (.746) during Staley’s tenure.

The Gamecocks’ recent program-record 33-game road win streak (Jan. 6, 2022 – Nov. 20, 2024) is the third-longest in NCAA Div. I history.

 

All About Balance
Like last season, South Carolina’s greatest asset is its depth with the 2024-25 roster featuring six Gamecocks who averaged at least 18.0 minutes and scored at least 8.1 points per game last season.

This season, 10 Gamecocks have played at least 15.0 minutes per game. Seven average at least 7.0 points, including five who average 9.0 or more. Five players have grabbed at least 4.0 rebounds per game. Eleven Gamecocks have scored in double figures at least once, including six who have done it at least five times, and six players have led the team in scoring at least once.

 

Block Party
South Carolina annually ranks among the best shot blocking teams in the country, and, with every Gamecock recording at least one block this season, they are continuing the tradition. Even without a dominant center and the loss of top shot blocker Ashlyn Watkins to injury, the Gamecocks are sixth in the nation with 6.3 blocks per game, including 2.25 per game from guards.

After recording 3.0 blocks per game over the last five outings (mostly vs. ranked opponents), senior Sania Feagin is sixth in the SEC with a team-high 1.55 blocks per game, including a league-best 2.29 in SEC play. MiLaysia Fulwiley is 10th in the league with 1.14 blocks per conference game.