South_Carolina_Gamecocks_women's_basketball
South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball
Women's basketball team of the University of South Carolina
The South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team represents the University of South Carolina and competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Under current head coach Dawn Staley, the Gamecocks have been one of the top programs in the country, winning the NCAA Championship in 2017, 2022, and 2024. The program also enjoyed success under head coach Nancy Wilson during the 1980s in the Metro Conference, when it won five regular season conference championships and three conference tournament championships.
| South Carolina Gamecocks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
 | ||||
| University | University of South Carolina | |||
| All-time record | 1020–535 (.656) | |||
| Athletic director | Ray Tanner | |||
| Head coach | Dawn Staley (16th season) | |||
| Conference | SEC | |||
| Location | Columbia, South Carolina | |||
| Arena | Colonial Life Arena (Capacity: 18,000) | |||
| Nickname | Gamecocks | |||
| Student section | The Cockpit | |||
| Colors | Garnet and black[1] | |||
| Uniforms | ||||
| ||||
| NCAA tournament champions | ||||
| 2017, 2022, 2024 | ||||
| NCAA tournament Final Four | ||||
| 2015, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 | ||||
| NCAA tournament Elite Eight | ||||
| 2002, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 | ||||
| NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 1982, 1990, 2002, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 | ||||
| NCAA tournament second round | ||||
| 1982, 1988, 1990, 2002, 2003, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 | ||||
| NCAA tournament appearances | ||||
| 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 2002, 2003, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 | ||||
| AIAW tournament Final Four | ||||
| 1980 | ||||
| AIAW tournament Elite Eight | ||||
| 1980 | ||||
| AIAW tournament Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 1980 | ||||
| AIAW tournament appearances | ||||
| 1973, 1980 | ||||
| Conference tournament champions | ||||
| Metro Conference: 1986, 1988, 1989 SEC: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024 | ||||
| Conference regular season champions | ||||
| Metro Conference: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 SEC: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 | ||||
The Gamecocks first competed at an intercollegiate level in women's basketball in 1923, when they were called the Pullets (a young domestic hen, a play off "Gamecocks," which is a rooster).
The modern era of South Carolina women's basketball began when the Carolina Chicks took to the court in January 1974 under the guidance of Pam Backhaus. The inaugural team compiled a record of 15–7 and were the South Carolina AIAW champions. In 1977, with Pam Parsons as the head coach the women's basketball team, they changed their nickname to the Lady Gamecocks and made postseason trips every year during her four-year tenure.
During its eight seasons in the Metro Conference (now Conference USA after the 1995 reunification), the Lady Gamecocks won the regular season championship five times and the conference tournament three times.[2]
When South Carolina joined the SEC, success was hard to come by during their first decade in one of the strongest conferences in women's basketball. They initially struggled to compete under head coaches Nancy Wilson and Susan Walvius. Walvius' teams in 2001–02 and 2002–03 broke through to finish 25–7 and 23–8, respectively, earning trips to the NCAA tournament and reaching the Elite Eight in 2002.
Walvius resigned after the 2007–08 season. On May 7, 2008, Dawn Staley was named the new head coach of the team now known as simply the "Gamecocks".
Under coach Staley, the Gamecocks improved or equaled their win total every season during her first seven years leading the program, culminating in a 34–3 record in 2014–15. That year they won the SEC regular season championship, the SEC Tournament championship and the NCAA East Region Championship. The season ended in the NCAA Final Four with a last second one-point loss to Notre Dame in the national semifinals.
The following year, the Gamecocks went undefeated in conference play, only to be stymied in the Sweet 16 by Syracuse. In 2016–17, the Gamecocks garnered their third straight sweep of the SEC regular season and tournament titles en route to their second Final Four. They defeated conference rival Mississippi State in the national championship game to win their first-ever national title.
In the 2018 SEC tournament, the Gamecocks defeated Mississippi State to win the SEC tournament, South Carolina is the only team to win the SEC tournament for four straight years. Their season came to an end when they were defeated by Connecticut in the Elite Eight.
In 2020, South Carolina finished 32–1 (16–0), led by the #1 ranked recruiting class and senior leadership of point guard Tyasha Harris. The Gamecocks defeated 14 ranked teams including their first-ever victory over UConn, and won both the SEC regular season and tournament titles. South Carolina won their final 26 games of the season and spent the final nine weeks as the AP #1 ranked team. Dawn Staley was named national coach of the year, and Aliyah Boston was named national freshman of the year, and SEC defensive player of the year. When the COVID-19 pandemic ended the season prematurely on March 12, South Carolina was ranked at the top of the AP and coaches' polls. Due to the unprecedented abrupt ending to the season following the SEC Championship win, Staley said they should be claim the mythical national championship, with the program making a claim through the size and location of the banner highlighting finishing #1 in the polls on December 31, 2020, at the 2020–21 conference season opener. As of the 2022–23 season, that banner size is identical to the two official championship banners, and located between the official championship banners.[3][4] In 2021, the team reached the Final Four, losing to Stanford by a point.
On April 3, 2022, the Gamecocks won their 2nd national title with a 64–49 win over UConn, finishing the season 35–2 and being ranked #1 in both major polls for the entire season. Aliyah Boston won Player of the Year, and Dawn Staley was named Naismith Award winner as the best coach in the nation for 2022.[5]
On February 18, 2024, South Carolina set a record for winning 43 straight SEC victories.
| 2023–24 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Name | Years | Seasons | Games | Won | Lost | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pam Backhaus | 1974–1975 1976–1977 |
2 | 56 | 26 | 30 | .464 |
| Frankie Porter | 1975–1976 | 1 | 22 | 7 | 15 | .318 |
| Pam Parsons | 1977–1981 | 5 | 144 | 101 | 43 | .701 |
| Terry Kelly | 1982–1984 | 3 | 82 | 50 | 32 | .610 |
| Nancy Wilson | 1985–1997 | 13 | 380 | 231 | 149 | .608 |
| Susan Walvius | 1998–2008 | 11 | 325 | 165 | 160 | .508 |
| Dawn Staley | 2008–present | 16 | 546 | 440 | 106 | .805 |
| All-Time | 51 | 1555 | 1020 | 535 | .656 | |
| Name | Position | Seasons at South Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawn Staley | Head coach | 16th | |
| Lisa Boyer | Associate head coach | 16th | |
| Jolette Law | Assistant coach | 7th | |
| Winston Gandy | Assistant coach | 1st | |
| Khadijah Sessions | Assistant coach | 1st | |
| Mary Wooley | Assistant coach | 1st | |
| Reference:[6] | |||
Conference tournament winners noted with # Source[7]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | Coaches' poll | AP poll | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pam Backhaus (Independent) (1974–1975) | |||||||||
| 1974–75 | Pam Backhaus | 18–12 (.600) | – | AIAW Region II | |||||
| Frankie Porter (Independent) (1975–1976) | |||||||||
| 1975–76 | Frankie Porter | 7–15 | |||||||
| Frankie Porter: | 7–15 | .318 | |||||||
| Pam Backhaus (Independent) (1976–1977) | |||||||||
| 1976–77 | Pam Backhaus | 8–18 | – | SCAIAW | |||||
| Pam Backhaus: | 26–30 (.464) | – | |||||||
| Pam Parsons (Independent) (1977–1982) | |||||||||
| 1977–78 | Pam Parsons | 24–10 | – | AIAW Region II | |||||
| 1978–79 | Pam Parsons | 27–10 | – | AIAW Region II NWIT Champions | 15 | ||||
| 1979–80 | Pam Parsons | 30–6 | – | AIAW Third Place | 4 | ||||
| 1980–81 | Pam Parsons | 13–17 | – | AIAW Region II | |||||
| 1981 | Pam Parsons | 7–0 | – | ||||||
| Pam Parsons: | 101–43 (.701) | – | |||||||
| Terry Kelly (Independent, Metro) (1982–1985) | |||||||||
| 1982 | Terry Kelly | 16–8 | – | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | |||||
| 1982–83 | Terry Kelly | 16–12 | – | ||||||
| 1983–84 | Terry Kelly | 18–12 | 7–3 | ||||||
| Terry Kelly: | 50–32 (.610) | 7–3 (.700) | |||||||
| Nancy Wilson (Metro, SEC) (1984–1997) | |||||||||
| 1984–85 | Nancy Wilson | 18–10 | 8–3 | T–1st | |||||
| 1985–86 | Nancy Wilson | 19–11 | 9–1 | 1st | NCAA first round | ||||
| 1986–87 | Nancy Wilson | 18–12 | 8–4 | 3rd | |||||
| 1987–88 | Nancy Wilson | 23–11 | 10–2 | 1st | NCAA second round | 24 | |||
| 1988–89 | Nancy Wilson | 23–7 | 10–2 | 1st | NCAA first round | 22 | 17 | ||
| 1989–90 | Nancy Wilson | 24–9 | 13–1 | 1st | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | 16 | 19 | ||
| 1990–91 | Nancy Wilson | 22–9 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA first round | ||||
| 1991–92 | Nancy Wilson | 13–15 | 2–9 | 12th (SEC) | |||||
| 1992–93 | Nancy Wilson | 17–10 | 5–6 | T-6th | |||||
| 1993–94 | Nancy Wilson | 14–13 | 2–9 | T-10th | |||||
| 1994–95 | Nancy Wilson | 12–15 | 1–10 | T-10th | |||||
| 1995–96 | Nancy Wilson | 16–12 | 2–9 | T-11th | |||||
| 1996–97 | Nancy Wilson | 12–15 | 1–11 | T-11th | |||||
| Nancy Wilson: | 231–149 (.608) | 83–69 (.546) | |||||||
| Susan Walvius (SEC) (1997–2008) | |||||||||
| 1997–98 | Susan Walvius | 13–15 | 3–11 | T-11th | |||||
| 1998–99 | Susan Walvius | 11–16 | 0–14 | 12th | |||||
| 1999–00 | Susan Walvius | 13–15 | 3–11 | 11th | |||||
| 2000–01 | Susan Walvius | 11–17 | 6–8 | T-6th | |||||
| 2001–02 | Susan Walvius | 25–7 | 10–4 | T-2nd | NCAA Elite Eight | 6 | 13 | ||
| 2002–03 | Susan Walvius | 23–8 | 9–5 | T-5th | NCAA second round | 18 | 16 | ||
| 2003–04 | Susan Walvius | 10–18 | 1–13 | 12th | |||||
| 2004–05 | Susan Walvius | 8–21 | 2–12 | 12th | |||||
| 2005–06 | Susan Walvius | 17–12 | 7–7 | 7th | WNIT Second round | ||||
| 2006–07 | Susan Walvius | 18–15 | 6–8 | T-7th | WNIT third round | ||||
| 2007–08 | Susan Walvius | 16–16 | 4–10 | T-9th | WNIT second round | ||||
| Susan Walvius: | 165–160 (.508) | 51–103 (.331) | |||||||
| Dawn Staley (SEC) (2008–present) | |||||||||
| 2008–09 | Dawn Staley | 10–18 | 2–12 | 11th | |||||
| 2009–10 | Dawn Staley | 14–15 | 7–9 | T-7th | |||||
| 2010–11 | Dawn Staley | 18–15 | 8–8 | T-5th | WNIT second round | ||||
| 2011–12 | Dawn Staley | 25–10 | 10–6 | T-4th | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | 21 | 25 | ||
| 2012–13 | Dawn Staley | 25–8 | 11–5 | T-4th | NCAA second round | 14 | 17 | ||
| 2013–14 | Dawn Staley | 29–5 | 14–2 | 1st | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | 8 | 8 | ||
| 2014–15 | Dawn Staley | 34–3 | 15–1 | 1st | NCAA Final Four | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2015–16 | Dawn Staley | 33–2 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | 3 | 5 | ||
| 2016–17 | Dawn Staley | 33–4 | 14–2 | 1st | NCAA Champions | 1 | 3 | ||
| 2017–18 | Dawn Staley | 29–7 | 12–4 | T-2nd | NCAA Elite Eight | 6 | 7 | ||
| 2018–19 | Dawn Staley | 23–10 | 13–3 | 2nd | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | 13 | 15 | ||
| 2019–20 | Dawn Staley | 32–1 | 16–0 | 1st | Canceled due to Covid-19 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21 | Dawn Staley | 26–5 | 14–2 | 2nd | NCAA Final Four | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2021–22 | Dawn Staley | 35–2 | 15–1 | 1st | NCAA Champions | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23 | Dawn Staley | 36–1 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Final Four | 3 | 1 | ||
| 2023–24 | Dawn Staley | 38–0 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Champions | 1 | 1 | ||
| Dawn Staley: | 440–106 (.806) | 199–55 (.783) | |||||||
| Total: | 1020–535 (.656) | ||||||||
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National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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NCAA Division I
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | #3 | First round Sweet Sixteen | #6 East Carolina #2 Kentucky | W 79–54 L 69–73 |
| 1986 | #7 | First round | #10 Middle Tenn | L 77–78 |
| 1988 | #8 | First round Second round | #9 Alabama #1 Texas | W 77–63 L 58–77 |
| 1989 | #6 | First round | #11 Tennessee Tech | L 73–77 |
| 1990 | #5 | First round Second round Sweet Sixteen | #12 Bowling Green #4 Northwestern #1 Washington | W 93–50 W 76–67 L 61–73 |
| 1991 | #7 | First round | #10 Vanderbilt | L 64–73 |
| 2002 | #3 | First round Second round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #14 Liberty #6 Cincinnati #7 Drake #1 Duke | W 69–61 W 75–56 W 79–65 L 68–77 |
| 2003 | #5 | First round Second round | #12 UT Chattanooga #4 Penn State | W 68–54 L 67–77 |
| 2012 | #5 | First round Second round Sweet Sixteen | #12 Eastern Michigan #4 Purdue #1 Stanford | W 80–48 W 72–61 L 60–76 |
| 2013 | #4 | First round Second round | #13 South Dakota State #12 Kansas | W 74–53 L 69–75 |
| 2014 | #1 | First round Second round Sweet Sixteen | #16 Cal St Northridge #9 Oregon State #4 North Carolina | W 73–58 W 78–69 L 58–65 |
| 2015 | #1 | First round Second round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four | #16 Savannah State #8 Syracuse #4 North Carolina #2 Florida State #1 Notre Dame | W 81–48 W 97–68 W 67–65 W 80–74 L 65–66 |
| 2016 | #1 | First round Second round Sweet Sixteen | #16 Jacksonville #9 Kansas State #4 Syracuse | W 77–41 W 73–47 L 72–80 |
| 2017 | #1 | First round Second round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship | #16 UNC Asheville #8 Arizona State #12 Quinnipiac #3 Florida State #2 Stanford #2 Mississippi State | W 90–40 W 71–68 W 100–58 W 71–64 W 62–53 W 67–55 |
| 2018 | #2 | First round Second round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #15 North Carolina A&T #10 Virginia #11 Buffalo #1 Connecticut | W 63–52 W 66–56 W 79–63 L 65–94 |
| 2019 | #4 | First round Second round Sweet Sixteen | #13 Belmont #5 Florida State #1 Baylor | W 74–52 W 72–64 L 68–93 |
| 2021 | #1 | First round Second round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four | #16 Mercer #8 Oregon State #5 Georgia Tech #6 Texas #1 Stanford | W 79–53 W 59–42 W 76–65 W 62–34 L 65–66 |
| 2022 | #1 | First round Second round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship | #16 Howard #8 Miami #5 North Carolina #10 Creighton #1 Louisville #2 Connecticut | W 79–21 W 49–33 W 69–61 W 80–50 W 72–59 W 64–49 |
| 2023 | #1 | First round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four | #16 Norfolk State #8 South Florida #4 UCLA #2 Maryland #2 Iowa | W 72–40 W 76–45 W 59–43 W 86–75 L 73–77 |
| 2024 | #1 | First round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship | #16 Presbyterian #8 North Carolina #4 Indiana #3 Oregon State #3 NC State #1 Iowa | W 91–39 W 88–41 W 79–75 W 70–58 W 78–59 W 87–75 |
Conference Tournament History
South Carolina has played in the Southeastern Conference since the 1997–98 season. The Gamecocks have won 8 tournament titles, all under Head Coach, Dawn Staley.
| Year | Seed | First Round | Second Round | Semifinal | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeastern Conference | ||||||
| 2005 | #12 | #6 Ole Miss 50–53 |
||||
| 2006 | #7 | #10 Auburn 48–64 |
||||
| 2007 | #8 | #9 Auburn 65–63 |
#1 Tennessee 63–81 |
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| 2008 | #10 | #7 Florida 57–71 |
||||
| 2009 | #11 | #6 Mississippi State 39–49 |
||||
| 2010 | #8 | #9 Ole Miss 63–64 |
||||
| 2011 | #5 | #12 Ole Miss 63–50 |
#4 Georgia 34–66 |
|||
| 2012 | #6 | #11 Alabama 57–38 |
#3 Georgia 59–55 |
#2 Tennessee 58–74 |
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| Year | Seed | First Round | Second Round | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeastern Conference | ||||||
| 2013 | #5 | #13 Alabama 77–35 |
#4 Texas A&M 52–61 |
|||
| 2014 | #1 | #9 Georgia 67–48 |
#4 Kentucky 58–68 |
|||
| 2015 | #1 | #9 Arkansas 58–36 |
#4 LSU 74–54 |
#2 Tennessee 62–46 | ||
| 2016 | #1 | #9 Auburn 57–48 |
#5 Kentucky 93–63 |
#3 Mississippi State 66–52 | ||
| 2017 | #1 | #8 Georgia 72–48 |
#4 Kentucky 89–77 |
#2 Mississippi State 59–49 | ||
| 2018 | #2 | #7 Tennessee 73–62 |
#3 Georgia 71–49 |
#1 Mississippi State 62–51 | ||
| 2019 | #2 | #10 Arkansas 89–95 |
||||
| 2020 | #1 | #9 Georgia 89–56 |
#5 Arkansas 90–64 |
#2 Mississippi State 76–62 | ||
| 2021 | #2 | #7 Alabama 75–63 |
#3 Tennessee 67–52 |
#4 Georgia 67–62 | ||
| 2022 | #1 | #8 Arkansas 76–54 |
#4 Ole Miss 61–51 |
#7 Kentucky 62–64 | ||
| 2023 | #1 | #8 Arkansas 93–66 |
#4 Ole Miss 80–51 |
#3 Tennessee 74–58 | ||
| 2024 | #1 | #9 Texas A&M 79–68 |
#5 Tennessee 74–73 |
#2 LSU 79–72 | ||
NCAA Tournament Seeding History
The following lists where the Gamecocks have been seeded in the NCAA tournament.
National Championships
| Year | Coach | Opponent | Score | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Dawn Staley | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 67–55 | 33–4 |
| 2022 | Dawn Staley | UConn Huskies | 64–49 | 35–2 |
| 2024 | Dawn Staley | Iowa Hawkeyes | 87–75 | 38–0 |
| National Championships | 3 | |||
Conference Championships
| Year | Overall Record | Conference Record | Coach | Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 18–11 | 9–1 | Nancy Wilson | Metro |
| 1988 | 23–11 | 10–2 | Nancy Wilson | Metro |
| 1989 | 23–7 | 10–2 | Nancy Wilson | Metro |
| 1990 | 24–9 | 13–1 | Nancy Wilson | Metro |
| 1991 | 22–9 | 12–2 | Nancy Wilson | Metro |
| 2014 | 29–5 | 14–2 | Dawn Staley | SEC |
| 2015 | 34–3 | 15–1 | Dawn Staley | SEC |
| 2016 | 33–2 | 16–0 | Dawn Staley | SEC |
| 2017 | 33–4 | 14–2 | Dawn Staley | SEC |
| 2020 | 32–1 | 16–0 | Dawn Staley | SEC |
| 2022 | 35–2 | 15–1 | Dawn Staley | SEC |
| 2023 | 36–1 | 16–0 | Dawn Staley | SEC |
| 2024 | 38–0 | 16–0 | Dawn Staley | SEC |
AIAW Division I
The Gamecocks made two appearances in the AIAW National Division I basketball tournament, with a combined record of 6–3.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | First round Consolation First round Consolation Second round Consolation third round |
East Stroudsburg State Lehman UC Riverside Kansas State |
L, 59–66 W, 58–53 W, 49–36 L, 57–69 |
| 1980 | First round Second round Quarterfinals Semifinals Third-place game |
USC Northwestern Stephen F. Austin Tennessee Louisiana Tech |
W, 81–60 W, 64–61 W, 63–56 L, 72–75 W, 77–69 |
Over the years, the Gamecocks have played in three different venues. At first games were played at the Blatt P.E. Center. Later games moved to the Carolina Coliseum, which saw the first sell out for a women's basketball game on January 17, 2002. That day, 12,168 fans turned out to see the South Carolina Gamecocks take on the Tennessee Lady Vols.
On November 22, 2002, the Gamecocks opened the newly constructed Colonial Life Arena (then known as Carolina Center; the arena's deal with Unum was signed a year later) with a $1 admission night, leading to a crowd 17,712 saw the Gamecocks defeat the arch-rival Clemson Lady Tigers.[8] The first sell out with 18,000 in attendance occurred on February 8, 2016, against the University of Connecticut Huskies in a match up of the two top ranked teams in the country.
Crowds of over 16,000 at Colonial Life Arena for Women's Basketball games:
| Date | Attendance | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02–18–2024 | 18,478 | Georgia | W 70–56 |
| 02–11–2024 | 18,167 | UConn | W 83–65 |
| 03–03–2024 | 18,000 | Tennessee | W 76–68 |
| 02–04–2024 | 18,000 | Ole Miss | W 85–56 |
| 01–28–2024 | 18,000 | Vanderbilt | W 91–74 |
| 02–26–2023 | 18,000 | Georgia | W 73–63 |
| 02–12–2023 | 18,000 | LSU | W 88–64 |
| 02–20–2022 | 18,000 | Tennessee | W 67–53 |
| 03–01–2020 | 18,000 | Texas A&M | W 60–52 |
| 02–10–2020 | 18,000 | UConn | W 70–52 |
| 03–03–2019 | 18,000 | Mississippi State | L 68–64 |
| 02–01–2018 | 18,000 | UConn | L 58–83 |
| 02–26–2017 | 18,000 | Kentucky | W 95–87 |
| 02–08–2016 | 18,000 | UConn | L 66–54 |
| 11–22–2002 | 17,712 | Clemson | W 72–58 |
| 01–11–2015 | 17,156 | Kentucky | W 68–60 |
| 11–16–2023 | 16,820 | Clemson | W 109–40 |
| 11–13–2015 | 16,815 | Ohio State | W 88–80 |
| 01–02–2015 | 16,465 | Auburn | W 77–58 |
| 12–06–2015 | 16,429 | Duke | W 66–55 |
| 02–28–2016 | 16,240 | LSU | W 75–39 |
| 02–18–2016 | 16,186 | Georgia | W 61–51 |
| 12–06–2023 | 16,181 | Morgan State | W 104–38 |
| 11–12–2023 | 16,007 | Maryland | W 114–76 |
South Carolina has led the nation in attendance every season since 2014–15, with the exception of 2020 which was limited due to COVID. The Gamecocks have averaged over 10,000 fans in 92 consecutive regular season home games.
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* The 2019 NCAA Tournament games were played in Halton Arena, Charlotte, NC
- The 2021 NCAA Tournament games were played in the bubble at the Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Notes
- Between losses to Texas A&M on February 10, 2013, and Connecticut on February 8, 2016, the Gamecocks won 45 consecutive games at home.
- As of June 20, 2021, the Gamecocks have drawn over 10,000 fans in 92 consecutive regular season home games
- Since their loss to NC State on December 3, 2021, the Gamecocks have won 59 consecutive home games.
Gamecocks drafted to the WNBA
Also drafted:
- Teresa Geter – 2002 – 36th by Washington
- Petra Ujhelyi – 2003 – 16th by Phoenix
- Aleighsa Welch – 2015 – 22nd by Chicago
Retired jerseys
South Carolina has retired four jersey numbers.[9]
| No. | Player | Career |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Martha Parker | 1985–1989 |
| 14 | Shannon Johnson | 1992–1996 |
| 25 | Tiffany Mitchell | 2012–2016 |
| 53 | Sheila Foster | 1978–1982 |
National player awards
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|
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National coach awards
- Dawn Staley – 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024
- Dawn Staley – 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024
- Dawn Staley – 2020, 2024
- Dawn Staley – 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024
Conference awards
|
|
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* Denotes Co-Player / Co-Coach
- "Colors – Communications and Public Affairs | University of South Carolina". Retrieved July 16, 2019.
- Feinberg, Doug (2020-03-17). "South Carolina finishes No. 1 in AP women's basketball poll". AP Wire. The AP. Associated Press. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
- Welch, David (6 February 2024). "Stadium Journey: Colonial Life Arena". Stadium Journey. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- "South Carolina pounds UConn, 64–49, to take women's basketball championship". NBC News. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- "South Carolina Softball Coaching Staff". Gamecocksonline.com. University of South Carolina Athletics. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- "South Carolina hosts Clemson Friday night in the Carolina Center's Grand Opening". Gamecocks Online. Cnet/CBS Interactive. 21 November 2002. Retrieved 2020-03-22.
- "SOUTH CAROLINA ATHLETICS HISTORY". Gamecock.
