Women's Hoops Outdoor Exhibition Game Sunday

Gamecock Notables

• South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley is entering her 27th season as a head coach and her 19th leading the Gamecocks. She has led South Carolina to nine 30-win seasons since 2015-16, including at least 35 wins in each of the last five seasons. Her Gamecocks have played in six consecutive NCAA Final Fours, highlighted by two National Championships and two other championship game appearances.

• The Gamecocks have played another NCAA Div. I opponent in an exhibition game every season since 2023-24 an are 3-0 in such games with wins over North Carolina, 10/30/25; Memphis, 10/15/24; and Rutgers, 10/22/23. In the Staley era of playing colleges in exhibition games, South Carolina is 18-0.

• South Carolina annually plays one of the toughest schedules in the nation – and not just because it plays in the vaunted SEC. Staley routinely sets a path to challenge her team from opening day each season, and the 2026-27 slate is no different. This season, the Gamecocks’ 16-game non-conference schedule features three conference champions, six games against teams that finished last season ranked in the top 20 and three more that played in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

• The Gamecocks return six letterwinners from last season, including returning starters Joyce Edwards and Tessa Johnson, who both earned All-SEC recognition in 2025-26. They also return a pair of 2024-25 letterwinners who missed last season with knee injuries in forwards Chloe Kitts, a 2025 All-American, and Ashlyn Watkins, who drew All-SEC honors in 2024-25.

• Even with three of its five departures from last season picked up in the first two rounds of the WNBA Draft, South Carolina returns 52.2 percent of its scoring and 51.0 percent of its rebounding from last season.

• Seven newcomers joined South Carolina this season, including a pair of transfers in Jordan Lee and Brooke Quarles-Daniels. Lee, a junior guard, had a breakout season at Texas in 2025-26, with 13.2 points, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Guard Quarles-Daniels is in her fifth season, playing the last two at Michigan, which she helped to the 2026 NCAA Elite Eight.

• Five freshmen signed with the Gamecocks, highlighted by Oliviyah Edwards, who ranked No. 3 in the class, and Jerzy Robinson, who came in at No. 6. Forwards Kaeli Wynn, a top-20 signee, and Kelsi Andrews, who came in at No. 30, are coming off injuries that curtailed their senior seasons. Justine Loubens from France rounds out the first-year group.

• Forward Joyce Edwards enters her junior year as just the third player in program history to earn First-Team All-SEC honors in each of her first two seasons and is South Carolina’s top returning scorer (19.2) and rebounder (6.8). Her 728 points last season broke the program’s 48-year-old single-season record. Her 22 20-point games and 37 10-point outings are also program records.

• Two-time NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team selection Tessa Johnson is back for her senior year, and her production has grown each season with the Gamecocks. Her 43.0 percent 3-point accuracy last season ranked fourth in the nation.

Today’s Matchup
South Carolina leads the all-time series against College of Charleston 17-9, including a 4-0 mark in the Dawn Staley era, with the teams last meeting on Nov. 25, 2020. The Gamecocks have won 16 of the last 19 meetings dating back to the 1977-78 season, and have claimed each of the last 10 more current matchups.

Staley and CofC first-year head coach Amanda Butler have a long history as well, dating back to their dates in the Atlantic 10 with Temple and Charlotte, respectively. Staley holds a 14-4 edge in the coaching matchups – 5-0 vs. Clemson, 8-4 vs. Florida and, while at Temple, 1-0 vs. Charlotte.

Schedule Sketch
Dawn Staley has built the program’s success by challenging her teams throughout the year to ensure all their tools are fine tuned going into the NCAA Tournament.

In 2026-27, South Carolina’s full 32-game schedule includes 14 games against team that finished last season in the top 25 and three more against teams that played in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Nine teams from last season’s NCAA Sweet 16 will face the Gamecocks at least once in the regular season. Six games feature an opponent that finished at least third in its conference last season.

Perennial Power
Under Dawn Staley, South Carolina women’s basketball had been a perennial  national power since winning its first SEC title in 2013-14. A few highlights from that stretch.

• 6 straight NCAA Final Four appearances (2021-2026) is the longest active streak and the second-longest streak in tournament history.
• 3 National Championships are third most by a single program in tournament history.
• 10th undefeated National Championship season in NCAA history (2023-24)
• 86 AP No. 1 rankings are third-most by a program in the poll’s history.
• 137 straight AP Top-10 rankings is the longest active streak – more than three times the next program
• 15 Gamecocks have earned All-America status at least once in their careers