Gamecocks Host Final Pre-Holiday Home Game Sunday

Gameday Information
Doors Open: 2:30 p.m. | 2 p.m. for Fast Break Pass

South Carolina Gamecocks (9-1)
Head Coach: Dawn Staley
Top Scorer: Joyce Edwards (19.4)
Top Rebounder: Madina Okot (11.1)

Penn State Lady Lions (6-3)
Head Coach: Carolyn Kieger
Top Scorer: Gracie Merkle (22.3)
Top Rebounder: Gracie Merkle (8.0)

Gamecock Notables

• South Carolina’s 53.0 percent shooting this season ranks fourth in the nation, putting their offensive rebound numbers lower than usual. Still, the Gamecocks are eighth in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage, pulling down 44.1 percent of their own misses.

• The Gamecocks’ 1.03 points per play and 1.20 points per scoring attempt are the highest of the Dawn Staley era and both rank sixth in the country, according to Her Hoop Stats.

• South Carolina has been outstanding in transition this season, ranking second in the nation with 24.5 fast break points per game. Defensively, the Gamecocks have allowed just 7.0 fast break points per game.

• Preseason AP All-American Ta’Niya Latson has her hands on 28.2 percent of the Gamecocks’ offense with her  17.8 points per game (8th in SEC) added to the additional 7.6 points per game scored off her assists (3.3, 15th in SEC). Her scoring includes three 20-point games and a 30-point outing and is highlighted by career-best shooting percentages overall (.538, 10th in SEC) and from 3-point range (.542).

• Senior Madina Okot is the national leader with seven double-doubles this season, and her SEC-best 11.1 rebounds per game rank 10th in the country. Her 15 rebounds at #8/10 Southern Cal (Nov. 15) were the most by a Gamecock against a ranked opponent since Kamilla Cardoso grabbed 17 in the 2024 National Championship game.

• Junior guard Tessa Johnson is 19th in the nation in 3-point percentage, hitting 48.8 percent from beyond the arc. She is the only player in the SEC ranked among the league’s top 15 in 3-point percentage (2nd) and overall field goal percentage (14th, .511).

• South Carolina’s leading scorer Joyce Edwards is third in the SEC and 29th in the country at 19.4 points per game. She has five 20-point outings, which matches her freshman season total. The athletic forward is eighth in the SEC in field goal percentage (.577) and second on the team in rebounding at 6.1 per game. Over the last five games, she has expanded her court vision as well, averaging 3.6 assists per game in that stretch.

By the Numbers
3 – In the first five weeks of the season, three Gamecocks have been named SEC and/or USBWA Player of the Week.

48.0 – South Carolina averaged 48.0 points in the paint over the last five games, accounting for 53.0 percent of its total offense.

98.6 – The Gamecocks have won 98.6 percent of their games at Colonial Life Arena over the last five seasons.

The Penn State Series
The Gamecocks are 4-6 all-time against the Lady Lions, including a 1-3 mark in the Dawn Staley era. The two teams have not met since the 2011-12 season, however.

Four of the games in the series have been played in Columbia with the teams splitting them 2-2. The most recent meeting was a 55-50 victory for then-#11 Penn State in Colonial Life Arena on Nov. 20, 2011. The Gamecocks’ most recent win in the series came on Nov. 22, 2009, in a 63-56 decision in Columbia.

Ranking Review
South Carolina is currently ranked No. 3 in both the AP Poll and the USA Today/WBCA Coaches’ Poll.

It marks the Gamecocks’ 123rd consecutive entry in the AP top 10, beginning with the 2019-20 preseason poll. It is the longest active streak and the eighth longest in the history of that poll (7th is 137, Baylor). Their 254 straight appearances in the AP Poll, dating back to Dec. 10, 2012, mark the second-longest active streak in the nation and is the tied for the sixth longest all-time (5th, Duke/Stanford, 312).

In the USA Today/WBCA Coaches’ Poll, South Carolina has been in the top 10 since claiming the No. 10 spot in the 2019-20 preseason poll.

Block Party
The Gamecocks have been a premier shot blocking program since their first national championship in 2017. They ranked in the top 15 in blocks per game that season and have only climbed higher in the eight subsequent seasons, including four years leading the nation in the stat and twice coming in second. Beyond the number of blocks, their block percentage has led the nation three seasons.

This season, South Carolina is fourth in the nation with 7.2 blocks per game, including 4.3 against ranked opponents. The Gamecocks have blocked 17.3 percent of opponents’ 2-point attempts, which ranks fourth in the nation, according to Her Hoop Stats.

Madina Okot tops the individual list with 1.7 blocks per game to rank fifth in the SEC. Joyce Edwards is not far behind at 1.5 per game (8th SEC). Gamecock guards have added 2.5 blocks per game to the team’s average.