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Women's Hoops Opens with Top 5 Tuesday Test

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FeatheredCock

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Women's Basketball 11/8/2021 FROM USC SPORTS INFORMATION POST BY GCF STAFF


Women's Hoops Opens with Top 5 Tuesday Test


 




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#1/1 SOUTH CAROLINA (0-0) at #5/4  NC STATE (0-0)
NOVEMBER 9, 2021 |  5 P.M.  |  RALEIGH, N.C.  |  REYNOLDS COLISEUM (5,500)
South Carolina Game Notes (PDF) | NC State Notes (PDF) | ESPN | 107.5 The Game | Live Stats 

GAMECOCK NOTABLES

  • Head coach Dawn Staley starts her 14th season at the South Carolina helm tonight. It is the Gamecocks' 48th season of women's basketball.
  • Tonight's game marks the highest ranked opponent the Gamecocks have played in a season opener in program history. South Carolina has tipped off a season against a ranked foe five other times (3-2), including three in the Dawn Staley era (2-1).
  • The Gamecocks are No. 1 in both primary preseason polls for the second time in as many seasons.
  • South Carolina's 10 guaranteed games against teams ranked in either the AP or Coaches poll are tied for the third-most in the country.
  • South Carolina returns all 11 members of its 2021 NCAA Final Four team. To that group, the Gamecocks added the No. 1 transfer of the season in Kamilla Cardoso and the No. 1 recruiting class.
  • Last season, South Carolina ranked fourth in the country with 47.0 rebounds per game and second in blocked shots per game (7.0).
  • The Gamecocks scored 41.5 points per game in the paint last season (55.1 percent of total offense). The production was as much about guards getting in the lane (20.4 ppg) as the post players (21.1 ppg).
  • Junior Aliyah Boston is one of the most impactful players in the game. She shapes the game beyond last season's 13.7 ppg, 11.5 rpg (13th in NCAA), 4.1 offensive rpg (16th), 2.6 bpg (18th) and 17 double-doubles (5th). Boston's constant communication on both sides of the ball shapes every play, and her commitment to doing the "unsung" actions in a game are just one aspect of her leadership, which prompted her teammates to vote her as one of their captains for a second season.



BY THE NUMBERS

4 – South Carolina's non-conference schedule includes all four of the other top-five teams in the preseason polls.

11 – 11 of the 16 Gamecocks on this season's team earned McDonald's All-America status as a high school senior, including all four freshmen.

58.1 – South Carolina's defense allowed just 58.1 points per game last season, including just 63.1 points per game against ranked foes.
 

NOTES

The NC State Series
The Wolfpack holds a 20-11 edge in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1977-78 season. The Gamecocks won the first three meetings of the Dawn Staley era, but NC State claimed the two most recent meetings.

South Carolina is 4-9 against the Wolfpack in Raleigh with its last win coming in Staley's inaugural season at the helm – a 56-55 win on Jan. 4, 2009. The two teams last met in Raleigh on Dec. 4, 2011, with NC State erasing a four-point South Carolina lead in the final two minutes to claim a 55-53 victory.

Season Openers
South Carolina is 11-2 in season openers under head coach Dawn Staley with the two losses coming in her first three seasons at the helm. Three of those 13 season openers were against ranked opponents with one on the road. In the first. on Nov. 12, 2010, the unranked Gamecocks lost to #5 Xavier 84-65 in Columbia. The next two came against Ohio State – at home #2 South Carolina   defeated the #6 Buckeyes 88-80 on Nov. 13, 2015, then a year later the #4 Gamecocks topped #7 Ohio State in Columbus 92-80 on Nov. 14, 2016.

Ranked Readings
Against ranked opponents, South Carolina is 85-66 in the Dawn Staley era (beginning 2008-09) with a 26-25 mark in those road games. Those marks are skewed by the early seasons of her tenure.

Since the start of the 2014-15 campaign, the Gamecocks are 70-27 against ranked teams, including a 22-6 mark over the last two seasons..

Road Ready
The Gamecocks are 277-259 all-time in road games, including a 102-45 mark under head coach Dawn Staley.  Her .694 winning percentage on the road is the best in program history.

Schedule Strength
South Carolina's 10 games against teams in either the AP or USA Today/WBCA Preseason Top 25 rank are the third-most in the nation, trailing just Stanford (12) and Maryland (11). Michigan, Tennessee and Texas also have nine confirmed such games on their schedule. The Gamecocks have a chance to add two more games based on results in the Battle 4 Atlantis (Nov. 20-22).

The Gamecocks are the only team to face each of the other four teams in the preseason top five of both polls, giving them the lowest non-conference opponent ranking average in the country.

Ranking Review
The Gamecocks open the season atop both primary national polls for the second time in as many seasons.

In the AP Poll, the Gamecocks have appeared in each of the last 169 weeks, giving them the fourth-longest active streak in the nation, which dates back to Dec. 10, 2021. They have spent the last 38 of those weeks ranked in the top 10 and have been No. 1 in the poll 16 times.

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. It has been No. 1 in this poll 12 times in the last eight seasons.
 
The season can't get off to a more explosive start than this. Here is what we'll be facing in Raleigh tomorrow evening:

THE PROJECTED STARTERS:

G: 5-4 Gr. Raina Perez (9.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.7 apg, 0.9 spg)

G: 5-9 Gr. Kai Crutchfield (8.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.2 spg)

W: 6-0 Jr. Jakia Brown-Turner (13.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.4 apg)

F: 6-1 Jr. Kayla Jones (11.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.0 spg) OR G: 5-5 So. Diamond Johnson (17.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg at Rutgers)

C: 6-5 Sr. Elissa Cunane (16.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 0.9 bpg, 0.7 spg)

BIG ADDITIONS TO THE TEAM:

5-5 So. G Diamond Johnson, transfer out of Rutgers.

6-0 So. G Madison Hayes, transfer out of Mississippi State.

Johnson is a HUGE addition - a former overall #6-rated prospect per ESPN's Hoopgurlz for the 2020 cycle, she proved her rating was legit by becoming an offensive leader for the Scarlet Knights, averaging 17.6 ppg and 4.3 rpg, as well as averaging a rare 50/40/90 (.50+% total FG%, .40+% 3-pt FG%, and .90+% FT%). In the Wolfpack's exhibition game against UNC-Pembroke, Johnson led the team with 18 pts on 7-12 shooting in 17 minutes of play time, with 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals. Johnson started in place of Jones.  Hayes, rated overall #28th per ESPN and a McDonald's All-American, earned 2021 SEC All-Freshman Team with the Bulldogs, averaging 4.7 ppg and 4.7 rpg in 19 games with 9 starts.

TEAM ATTRITION:

Jones was injured in last season's NCAAT where she injured her knee. Reports are she's fully healed, but may not be in the best basketball shape due to missing off-season conditioning while her knee (patella tendon) healed. In NC State's exhibition game win versus UNC-Pembroke she came off the bench and played just under 10 total minutes, scoring 2 pts on 1-2 shooting, with 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Her minutes and/or her productivity in our game may be limited substantially.

Jones was supported by 6-1 reserve F Jada Boyd at the position last season. Boyd is expected to miss the first month of the season due to a hand injury. 6-0 transfer Hayes may fill in here, as she was a solid rebounder as a freshman at Miss. State (4.7 rpg). But last season in our game Jones and Brown-Turner were the leading rebounders for the Wolfpack with 12 boards each. If Jones is not able to play up to 30 minutes tomorrow, NC State's presence in the paint will suffer against the post-deep Gamecocks.

Should Jones' effectiveness be limited, and with Boyd out for the game, that places extreme pressure on Cunane to be the Pack's primary post presence. Boyd also missed the game between these two teams last season - as mentioned above, Jones and Brown-Turner led the team with 12 boards each, with Cunane pulling down 6 boards, and had 4 blocks. The Pack brought in a 6-4 freshman Post in Sophia Hart, but she's green and a bit raw. She played 10 minutes in their exhibition with 2 pts on 1-2 scoring, and 0 rebounds. They also have 6-1 Jr. C Camille Hobby, but a 6-1 Center should struggle against our 6-7, 6-5, and 6-4 bigs.

MATCHUP OUTLOOK:

Against UNC-Pembroke, NC State started a 4-guard lineup - they call 6-0 Brown-Turner a W/G - with only Cunane the lone F/C. Two of their Gs were 5-4 and 5-5. Should the Wolfpack go with this lineup, that makes our starting backcourt of 5-7 Henderson and 5-9 Cooke look positively Amazonian by comparison. During our own exhibition game, 6-1 G Eniya Russell subbed in for Cooke, so things don't get any better for them. And with 5-8 Johnson, 5-9 Littleton, 6-0 Hall, 6-1 Beal, and 6-1 Rivers all rotating in, we should be able to present some defensive perimeter presence against their long-range shooting.

And perimeter defensive presence will be a strong key to our winning. NC State is a strong 3-pt shooting team, better than Arkansas was last season, and for our goal of putting pressure on Cunane, we can't let the Wolfpack hit 3-ptrs all game long. We need to frustrate the backcourt of NC State, and therefore put more pressure on their frontcourt offense. With few post players available, our bigger guards need to drive the lane constantly and force Cunane and whoever they have helping her to defend, and force fouls. Getting Cunane into foul trouble would be the biggest key - it'll bring everything else crumbling down for them. Last season we were very poor in overall field goal shooting and especially at the charity stripe, shooting 4-11 at the line. This can't happen again. Both teams shot under 30% for the game last season, and with it being the season-opening game it could happen again, but it will be much harder for the Wolfpack to play their lone 6-5 plus a number of 6-1 players against our 6-7, 6-5, 6-4, and 6-4 players. Even without Cardoso last season we out-rebounded NC State by 13 boards: I expect an even bigger disparity on the glass tomorrow.....

 
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Gamecock's will have their hands full tonight but I believe coaching in this one makes the difference and the depth South Carolina has that's why DAWN GET'S AN  20 VICTORY in Raleigh tonight.    

 
Starting lineups for teams:

NC State:

PG: 5-4 Raina Perez

G: 5-5 Diamond Johnson

G: 5-9 Kai Crutchfield

G/W: 6-0 Jakia Brown-Turner

C: 6-5 Elissa Cunane

The same lineup for their exhibition game. Regular starter 6-1 F Kayla Jones will come off the bench, coming back from her off-season knee injury

USC:

PG: 5-7 Destanni Henderson

G: 5-9 Zia Cooke

G: 6-1 Brea Beal

F: 6-2 Victaria Saxton

C: 6-5 Boston

No surprises here - the starting five from last season. As Dawn Staley suggested after the Benedict exhibition game, Zia would've played had it been an official game.

 
Gamecocks lead 16-11 at the end of the 1st qtr. Cooke leads the way with 6 pts on 3-4 shooting. The team is shooting 8-13 (.615) so they definitely came out looking to convert on their attempts this game. The Wolfpack shot 5-13 (.385) for the period.

Henderson picked up her 2nd foul towards the end of the period, so she will sit the rest of the half, and we will see what Raven can do. Also Destiny Littleton should man the point too....

 
35-19 Ladies G's under a minute in 2nd Q.

 
Ughh....

Well, it's the first game of the season, and our point man and leader Henderson sat all of the 2nd period with 2 fouls. But it was ugly, sloppy basketball in the 2nd stanza. Still, the Gamecocks lead 25-19 into the halftime break, and still shot 12-23 (.522) for the half. They shot 4-10 in the 2nd Qtr. and 1-8 overall from the arc.

Zia Cooke leads the team with 8 pts on 4-5 shooting - she wasn't the problem. Destiny Littleton came in and scored 7 pts on 3-7 shooting - she's hit the lone 3-ptr for the team, but was 1-5 behind the arc. Littleton also led the team with 4 rebounds.

Boston only took 2 shot attempts in the 1st half, hitting 1 of them. She had 2 pts, 3 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Cardoso played 7 minutes and took no shot attempts, and had 1 rebound and 1 assist. Raina Perez is playing undefended apparently - she led the Wolfpack with 11 pts on 4-5 shooting. Brown-Turner added 6 pts on 3-7 shooting. The Wolfpack was 1-6 behind the arc. Cunane was scoreless in the 1st half with 0-3 shooting, with 0 rebounds.....

 
NC State came out for the 2nd half looking to make a response. They hit their shots, and out-scored the Gamecocks for a good portion. Got within 1 point twice 33-32 and 37-36, but then the Gamecocks went on a 6-0 run to put some distance in the score, and ended up out-scoring the Wolfpack 22-20 for the 3rd Period to extend their lead 47-39....

 
Gamecocks wins their season opener against #5/4 NC State Wolfpack 66-57.

The Gamecocks were led by their guards - Zia Cooke returns from her ankle sprain to score 17 pts on 6-13 shooting, with 3 rebounds. And Destanni Henderson added 14 pts on 4-8 shooting despite missing the entire 2nd quarter with fouls. Henderson added a team-leading 5 assists and 4 rebounds, with 2 steals.

Laeticia Amihere scored 9 pts on 4-6 shooting with 5 boards and 2 steals. Aliyah Boston had a cool game scoring, with 8 pts on 3-8 shooting, but added 6 boards and 5 shot blocks. Destiny Littleton contributed her 7 pts all in the 1st half, on 3-7 shooting, and added 4 rebounds. Brea Beal also added 7 pts on 3-5 shooting, with 3 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal. Kamilla Cardoso chipped in 2 pts on 1 shot attempt in 16 minutes, with 4 rebounds and 1 block.

Two freshmen saw action in the game: Raven Johnson played 7 minutes in the first half with Henderson in foul trouble - she took a shot attempt which missed. Also Bree Hall saw 4 minutes, and recorded a rebound.

Overall the Gamecocks had 14 turnovers after having 12 of them in the 1st half alone. They had 9 blocks to 0 for the Wolfpack, 6 steals to 3 for the Pack, and 9 assists to 10 for the Pack....

For the Wolfpack, they were led mostly by two players: Raina Perez and Jakia Brown-Turner scored 36 of their team's 57 total points. Perez scored 18 pts on 7-9 shooting, and Brown-Turner also scored 18 pts on 8-16 shooting. Elissa Cunane added 8 pts on 4-11 shooting, with 3 rebounds. Overall the anticipated marquee match-up between the two All-American Centers in Boston and Cunane was a bit muted....

 
I will have to go back and watch the replay since I missed the game.

Great win for us, though.

 
Great start to the season.  Playing a good team early really gives you a point of reference of where your program is.  Thought Dawn left Aliyah on the bench purposely to get Cardoso and LA experience in those type situations.  LA looked great.  Cant wait for the season to start.

 
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