2021 NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT - SECOND ROUND
HemisFair Regional, San Antonio, TX
#1 Seed SOUTH CAROLINA vs #8 Seed OREGON STATE
NCAA TOURNAMENT
#1 SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS (23-4) VS. #8 OREGON STATE BEAVERS (12-7)
TUESDAY MARCH 23, 2021 7:00 P.M. ET | SAN ANTONIO, TX | ALAMODOME (NORTH COURT)
GAME NOTES : (PDF) | WATCH: ESPN | LISTEN: 107.5 The Game | LISTEN ONLINE STREAM: 107.5 The Game | Live Stats
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Appearances: 17 (1982, 1986, 1988, 1989,1990, 1991, 2002, 2003, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021)
Overall Record (Staley Era): 31-15 (23-7)
Sweet 16 Appearances: 10 (1982, 1990, 2002, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
Elite Eight Appearances: 4 (2002, 2015, 2017, 2018)
Final Four Appearances: 2 (2015, 2017)
National Championships: 1 (2017)
Italics indicates during the Dawn Staley era
ABOUT TONIGHT'S GAME
- The Gamecocks are 1-1 all-time against Oregon State with both games coming in the Dawn Staley era. South Carolina and Oregon State have met once before in the NCAA Tournament, matching up in the second round of the 2014 event, which the Gamecocks won in Seattle.
- South Carolina is 9-3 all-time in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, including an 7-1 mark in the Dawn Staley era.
GAMECOCK NOTABLES
- South Carolina enters the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed for the fifth time in the last eight tournaments. The Gamecocks earned that seed playing the toughest schedule in the country, facing an NCAA-best 13 ranked opponents, while not suffering any "bad losses" as their four defeats came to the Nos. 1, 3, 4 and 13 teams in this week's AP Poll.
- The six Gamecocks making their NCAA Tournament debut against Mercer combined for 51 of the team's 79 points and 35 of its 52 rebounds.
- South Carolina has not been out-rebounded this season and ranks third in the country with a +15.2 rebounding margin. The Gamecocks have had a double-digit rebounding advantage in 18 of 27 games this season, including eight games with at least a +20 margin.
- With her team season-high 18 rebounds against Mercer, sophomore Aliyah Boston came one rebound shy of the Gamecocks' NCAA Tournament record. Her nine offensive boards tied the program NCAA Tournament record, originally set by Aleighsa Welch against Notre Dame on Apr. 5, 2015. Boston's 20 points were the most by a Gamecock in her NCAA Tournament debut since Beth Hunt scored 31 against Tennessee Tech on Mar. 15, 1989, and her 18 rebounds were the most in a debut since Sharon Gilmore's 18 against Middle Tennessee on Mar. 12, 1986
- After a combined 23 career minutes in NCAA Tournament play entering this year's event, junior forward Victaria Saxton matched her career high with 20 points against Mercer, shooting 7-of-10 from the field.
- Sophomore Aliyah Boston is the only player in the country who is a finalist for both the Naismith Trophy and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. Averaging a double-double on the season (13.9 ppg/11.9 rpg) and ranking sixth in the country in double-doubles (16), she is also 16th in the nation in blocks per game (2.7). Boston has lifted her game to another level in the postseason, averaging 19.5 points and 13.0 rebounds of her last four outings, shooting 60.0 percent (27-of-45) from the field, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range.
- Sophomore Zia Cooke has scored in double figures in all but four games this season, including three of her four postseason games, during which she is averaging 15.0 points.
5 South Carolina has allowed an opponent to score 70 points just five times this season, the last coming on Feb. 18 at Tennessee.
51 Forwards Aliyah Boston, Victaria Saxton and Laeticia Amihere accounted for 51 of the Gamecocks' 79 points against Mercer, shooting 58.8 percent (20-34) from the field.
52 The Gamecocks' 52 rebounds against Mercer tied the program's most in an NCAA Tournament game.
