Gamecock Notables

• South Carolina dominated the glass last week with 52.0 boards per game and a +20.5 rebounding margin, including a  +24 mark against #8/10 Southern Cal. The Gamecocks rose to 15th in the nation with 48.8 rebounds per game on the season with a +19.0 margin that ranks 11th in the NCAA.

• Efficiency has been the name of the game for the Gamecock offense, which ranks 14th in the nation with a .520 field goal percentage. Outside the arc, South Carolina is hitting 46.2 percent to rank third in the country.

• Returning to their defense roots, the Gamecocks lead the nation in field goal percentage defense (.269) and come in eighth in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.178).

• Sophomore forward Joyce Edwards is the SEC Player of the Week for her 17.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game against Clemson and #8/10 Southern Cal. She posted her first double-double of the season in the Gamecocks’ first ranked win of the season and has been the team’s top scorer in each of the last three games. Her 18.0 points per game are sixth in the SEC and her 2.3 blocks per game come in fourth.

• Senior point guard Raven Johnson continues her stat-stuffing season with 9.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. She has a pair of double-doubles through the first four games, and her steady leadership and decision making have helped the inexperienced Gamecock squad find their chemistry more consistently and at key moments.

• Senior center Madina Okot has shaken off a tough season opener to play more like the dominant force her head coach is urging her to become on both sides of the ball. She has two double-doubles in the last three games and her defensive effort was critical to slowing down #8/10 Southern Cal (Nov. 15) in the team’s first ranked win of the season.

• Junior Tessa Johnson is off to the best start of her career with her off-season work showing up on both sides of the ball. Her 15.0 points per game are 20th in the SEC, and she is among the league’s top 15 in field goal percentage (13th, .535), assists per game (15th, 3.5), 3-point field goal percentage (6th, .474) and made 3s per game (10th, 2.3).

• Five Gamecocks were named to the Wooden Award Top 50 Preseason Watchlist on Tuesday, making South Carolina one of two teams with that many entries.

The Winthrop Series
The Gamecocks lead the all-time series with Winthrop 8-5, including wins in the last six meetings. Just two of those meetings have come in the Dawn Staley era with the most recent coming on Dec. 13, 2015, in an 86-37 Gamecock win in Columbia.

Glass Shattering
South Carolina’s rebounding started slowly but has skyrocketed in the second week of the season. The Gamecocks are 15th in the country with 48.8 rebounds per game and 11th in rebounding margin (+19.0). They have corralled 43.1 percent of their missed shots for an offensive rebounding percentage that ranks 21st in the country.

Senior Madina Okot leads the way with 10.5 boards per game to rank third in the SEC and 30th in the nation. She has been the team leader in the category three times through the first four games. Sophomore Joyce Edwards is next in line at 6.8 rebounds per game, including 3.0 offensive boards, which ranks 13th in the league. Senior guard Raven Johnson has pulled down 6.3 rebounds per game, including a season-high 11 against #8/10 Southern Cal (Nov. 15).