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Gamecocks Set for Top-10 SEC Tournament Semifinal
Women's Basketball  . 

Gamecocks Set for Top-10 SEC Tournament Semifinal

GREENVILLE, S.C. – No. 3/3 South Carolina will face No. 6/6 LSU on Sat., March 7, in the SEC Tournament semifinals. Tipoff at Bon Secours Wellness Arena is set for 4:30 p.m. with the game airing on ESPN2.

Gamecock Notables

  • South Carolina is playing in the SEC Tournament semifinals for the seventh-straight season and the 13th time in the last 15 seasons. The Gamecocks are 10-2 in those semifinal contests.

  • The Gamecocks are 11-2 against ranked opponents this season, including a 4-1 mark against top-10 teams They have a +10.8 scoring margin against those top-10 foes.

  • All five South Carolina starters average double-figure points against ranked opponents this season. Madina Okot averages a double-double against the nation’s best with 13.3 points and 11.5 rebounds per outing. In her current streak of eight-straight double-doubles, Okot averaged 15.1 points and 13.6 rebounds to go with 2.0 blocks per game. The eight-game stretch included six games against top-25 opponents.

  • Sophomore forward Joyce Edwards was named to the All-America Second Team by The Athletic this week, becoming just the eighth Gamecock sophomore all-time to earn All-America status, most recently joining Aliyah Boston (2021), A’ja Wilson (2016) and Tiffany Mitchell (2014). She responded to the news with her 19th 20-point game of the season and her second in SEC Tournament action with her 21 points against Kentucky matching her SEC Tournament debut outing last season.

  • Senior Ta’Niya Latson’s SEC Tournament debut against Kentucky was a prime example of how her game has grown more efficient this  season with her 11 points coming on 3-of-6 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 accuracy from the free throw line. She led the team with six assists as well in 24 minutes on the court.

  • Junior Tessa Johnson was back in the form that delivered All-SEC second-team honors this season, hitting 3-of-4 from 3-point range en route to 15 points against Kentucky.

  • Against ranked teams, Raven Johnson’s offensive production hits another level as she averages 11.0 points on 51.8 percent shooting and hands out 5.7 assists per game.

  • Sophomore Maddy McDaniel led the bench production on Friday against Kentucky with seven points to go with a career-high five rebounds, three steals and two assists in her 24 minutes on the court. Over the last three games, she has averaged 5.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals.

 

By the Numbers
9 – South Carolina has posted at least 30 wins in nine of the last 12 seasons, including each of the last five.

+15.1 – In 13 games against ranked opponents, the Gamecocks have a +15.1 scoring margin.

67.7 – South Carolina assisted on 67.7 percent of their made field goals against Kentucky on Friday (21 assists on 31 field goals).

 

The LSU Series
The Gamecocks are 22-22 all-time against LSU after going 19-5 against the Tigers in the Dawn Staley era (beginning 2008-09), including winning the last 18 meetings. They are 3-0 against LSU in SEC Tournament games (1998, 2015, 2024).

In the regular-season meeting between the two earlier this season in Baton Rouge, the Gamecocks rallied from a five-point deficit after the first quarter to win the next three quarters and claim a 79-72 victory. Tessa Johnson led all scorers with 21 points, including 16 in the first half. The lead changed hands six times in the game, but once the Gamecocks took the lead just before halftime they did not relinquish it.

 

Ranked Readings
Against ranked teams, South Carolina is 143-73 (.662) in the Dawn Staley era (beginning 2008-09), and even that mark is skewed by the early seasons of her tenure. Since the start of the 2014-15 campaign, the Gamecocks are 128-34 (.790) against ranked teams, including a 58-7 (.892) mark since the start of the 2021-22 season. The Gamecocks are 127-24 (.841) under Staley when ranked higher/better than their opponent.

This season, South Carolina is 11-2 against ranked opponents, including a 4-1 mark against top-10 foes. The Gamecocks are 5-0 against ranked teams at home, 4-1 on the road and 2-1 at neutral sites.

 

Fast Forward
The Gamecocks have been on the move this season, ranking second in the nation with 20.5 fast break points per game, including 15.7 vs. SEC foes and 14.6 against ranked opponents. For context, the program record of 18.0 fast break points per game was set in 2023-24, and last season’s average was 17.1.

South Carolina’s season-high of 56 fast break points against Queens (Nov. 23) were the third-most in program history. The Gamecocks are out-scoring opponents on the break by 14.0 points per game (21.4-7.4).

 

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 top-five in the nation with 6.2 blocks per game, including 5.3 against ranked foes and an SEC-best 6.2 per league game. The Gamecocks have blocked 15.4 percent of opponents’ 2-point attempts, which ranks top-10 in the nation, per Her Hoop Stats.

Madina Okot tops the individual list with 1.6 blocks per game to rank top-five in the SEC, which includes 1.8 per league game (5th). Joyce Edwards is next at 1.1 per game on the season. Guards have added 2.1 blocks per game.

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