[SIZE= 20px]Gamecock Fanatics Official (Exhibition) Game Thread[/SIZE]
#1 SOUTH CAROLINA (0-0) VS. BENEDICT (0-0)
7 P.M. | COLUMBIA, S.C. | COLONIAL LIFE ARENA (18,000)
South Carolina Game Notes (PDF) | Live Stats | Season Ticket Information
Columbia, S.C. - Women's Hoops opens its 2021-22 season's preparation with an exhibition game against Division II Benedict College Monday night at Colonial Life Arena. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. The Gamecock season gets underway with high anticipation, as the 21-22 squad is pre-season ranked #1 by the Associated Press heading into the season. The ranking marks the second consecutive pre-season #1 ranking for the Gamecocks by the Associated Press: the Gamecocks finished the 2020-21 campaign 26-5 and reached the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament where they lost to eventual champion Stanford 66-65.
The season schedule gets underway in earnest for the Gamecocks next Tuesday, as they travel to Raleigh, N.C. to take on the pre-season 5th-ranked North Carolina State Wolfpack in a grudge match. The then-8th-ranked Wolfpack upset the Gamecocks 54-46 last season in the Jimmy V Classic at Colonial Life Arena.
ABOUT MONDAY'S GAME
- Admission is free and all seating is general admission.
- Doors will open at 6 p.m.
- Parking is $10.
- This is the second time South Carolina and Benedict have faced each other in exhibition play in the Dawn Staley era. The first meeting came on Nov. 6, 2016, with a 120-49 South Carolina win.
SOUTH CAROLINA NOTABLES
- Since it began playing other college teams in exhibitions in 2009-10, South Carolina has won its those games by an average of 52.6 points. The Gamecocks have scored 100 points in five of their last six exhibitions with the first of those a 100-25 decision over Coker (Nov. 2, 2014) in the biggest exhibition win under head coach Dawn Staley.
- With a 16-player roster, South Carolina is three-deep at every position. The group features 11 McDonald's All-Americans, including all five newcomers.
- The Gamecocks finished last season ranked third in the nation in rebounding margin (+14.4) and second in blocks per game (7.0).
- Junior Aliyah Boston has been collecting national accolades throughout her career, and she is starting her third season with the same level of recognition. A unanimous First-Team All-American, she was also named to the Lisa Leslie Center Award Watch List – an award she won in each of her first two seasons.
- Junior Zia Cooke's stellar NCAA Tournament outings cemented her national presence. She enters this season as a Preseason Third-Team All-American, according to Lindy's. Cooke also made her second appearance in as many seasons on the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award Watch List.
- USA Today moved senior Destanni Henderson into Preseason All-America status, placing her on its second team. She is also on the watch list for the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award.
- Sophomore transfer Kamilla Cardoso earned a spot on the Lisa Leslie Center Award Watch Lisst, her second preseason selection to that list.
- Freshman Sania Feagin joined in the positional accolades last week, grabbing a spot on the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award Watch List.
BY THE NUMBERS
2 Two of the Gamecocks' four freshmen earned National Player of the Year honors to cap their high school careers.
3 Three Gamecocks have earned preseason All-America honors entering the season – Raven Johnson, Saniya Rivers.
100 South Carolina returns 100 percent of last season's NCAA Final Four team.
