2022–23 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team

2022–23 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball
2022–23 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball
SEC Regular Season Champions ; SEC Tournament Champions
NCAA tournament, Final Four
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 3
AP	No. 1
Record	36–1 (16–0 SEC)
Head coach	Dawn Staley (15th season);
Assistant coaches	Lisa Boyer; Fred Chmiel; Jolette Law;
Home arena	Colonial Life Arena
	Seasons ← 2021–22 2023–24 →

2022–23 SEC women's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 1 South Carolina†	16	–	0	1.000	36	–	1	.973
No. 9 LSU	15	–	1	.938	34	–	2	.944
No. 24 Tennessee	13	–	3	.813	25	–	12	.676
Ole Miss	11	–	5	.688	25	–	9	.735
Mississippi State	9	–	7	.563	22	–	11	.667
Georgia	9	–	7	.563	22	–	12	.647
Alabama	9	–	7	.563	20	–	11	.645
Arkansas	7	–	9	.438	24	–	13	.649
Missouri	6	–	10	.375	18	–	14	.563
Florida	5	–	11	.313	19	–	14	.576
Auburn	5	–	11	.313	16	–	15	.516
Vanderbilt	3	–	13	.188	12	–	19	.387
Kentucky	2	–	14	.125	12	–	19	.387
Texas A&M	2	–	14	.125	9	–	20	.310

† 2023 SEC tournament winner As of April 2, 2023 Rankings from AP poll

The 2022–23 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Gamecocks, led by 15th-year head coach Dawn Staley, played their home games at Colonial Life Arena and competed as members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).^[1]^[2]

Previous season

The Gamecocks finished the season with a 35–2 overall record and a 15–1 record in conference play. The Gamecocks lost the SEC Tournament. They therefore received an at-large bid to the 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, where they reached the national championship, defeating UConn 64–49.

Offseason

2022 recruiting class

The Gamecocks signed the #6 class for 2022 according to ESPN.^[3]

Chloe Kitts reclassified to the class of 2022.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Ashlyn Watkins #4 P	Columbia, SC	Cardinal Newman	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	N/A	Nov 17, 2021
Ashlyn Watkins #4 P	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 97
Talyasia Cooper #4 PG	Turbeville, SC	East Clarendon	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	N/A	Oct 23, 2021
Talyasia Cooper #4 PG	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 96
Chloe Kitts #3 F	Oviedo, FL	DME Academy	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	N/A	Nov 4, 2022
Chloe Kitts #3 F	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 96
Overall recruiting rankings: ESPN: 6
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2022 South Carolina Gamecocks Player Commits". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Kierra Fletcher	41	G	5'9"	5th Year	Warren, MI	Transferred from Georgia Tech.

Preseason

Hall of Fame coach Dawn Staley enters her fifteenth year at South Carolina, fresh off winning her 2nd national championship in the 2022 Women's Final Four winning all six games as head coach of South Carolina.^[4]

Award watch lists

Award	Player	Position	Year

Preseason All-American teams

SEC coaches poll

The SEC coaches poll was released on October 18, 2022.^[5]

Predicted finish	Team
Coaches poll
1	South Carolina
2	Tennessee
3	LSU
4	Ole Miss
5	Arkansas
6	Georgia
7	Alabama
8	Florida
9	Mississippi State
10	Kentucky
11	Texas A&M
12	Missouri
13	Auburn
14	Vanderbilt

SEC Media Poll

Predicted finish	Team
SEC media poll
1	South Carolina
2	Tennessee
3	LSU
4	Arkansas
5	Ole Miss
6	Florida
7	Kentucky
8	Mississippi State
9	Georgia
10	Alabama
11	Texas A&M
12	Missouri
13	Auburn
14	Vanderbilt

Preseason All-SEC teams

The preseason all-SEC women's basketball team was announced on November 3, 2022.^[6]

First team

Aliyah Boston – F

Second team

Zia Cooke – G

Victaria Saxton – F

Player of the Year

Aliyah Boston – F

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year

Aliyah Boston – F

Roster

2022–23 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	Olivia Thompson	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	Sr	Lexington	Lexington, SC
G	1	Zia Cooke	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	Sr	Rogers	Toledo, OH
F	3	Ashlyn Watkins	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	Fr	Cardinal Newman	Columbia, SC
F	4	Aliyah Boston	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	Sr	Worcester Academy	Saint Thomas, VI
F	5	Victaria Saxton	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	Sr	Model	Rome, GA
C	10	Kamilla Cardoso	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	Jr	Hamilton Heights Syracuse	Montes Claros, BR
G	11	Talaysia Cooper	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	Fr	East Clarendon	Turbeville, SC
G	12	Brea Beal	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	Sr	Rock Island	Rock Island, IL
F	15	Laeticia Amihere	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	RS Sr	Kings Way Christian	Milton, ON
G	20	Sania Feagin	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	So	Forest Park	Ellenwood, GA
G	21	Chloe Kitts	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	Fr	DME Academy	Oviedo, FL
G	23	Bree Hall	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	So	Wayne	Dayton, OH
G	25	Raven Johnson	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	So	Westlake	Atlanta, GA
G	41	Kierra Fletcher	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	Sr	Cousino Georgia Tech	Warren, MI

Head coach

Dawn Staley (Virginia)

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: November 18, 2021

Starting lineup

South Carolina	Position
Aliyah Boston	F
Victaria Saxton	F
Brea Beal	G
Zia Cooke	G
Kierra Fletcher	G

Schedule

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 31, 2022* 7:00 p.m.	No. 1	Benedict	W 123–32		19 – Tied	12 – Feagin	6 – Tied	Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC
Regular season
November 7, 2022* 8:30 p.m., SECN	No. 1	East Tennessee State	W 101–31	1–0	17 – Cooke	11 – Boston	4 – Johnson	Colonial Life Arena (12,779) Columbia, SC
November 11, 2022* 6:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 1	at No. 17 Maryland	W 81–56	2–0	18 – Cooke	13 – Boston	4 – Beal	Xfinity Center (9,244) College Park, MD
November 17, 2022* 6:00 p.m., ACCN	No. 1	at Clemson	W 85–31	3–0	15 – Cooke	7 – Beal	5 – Johnson	Littlejohn Coliseum (3,051) Clemson, SC
November 20, 2022* 3:00 p.m., ABC	No. 1	at No. 2 Stanford	W 76–71 ^OT	4–0	14 – Boston	13 – Boston	4 – Cooke	Maples Pavilion (7,287) Stanford, CA
November 22, 2022* 8:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 1	at Cal Poly	W 79–36	5–0	13 – Amihere	11 – Watkins	5 – Tied	Mott Athletics Center (2,384) San Luis Obispo, CA
November 27, 2022* 12:00 p.m., SECN+	No. 1	Hampton	W 85–38	6–0	14 – Tied	14 – Cardoso	5 – Johnson	Colonial Life Arena (11,659) Columbia, SC
November 29, 2022* 7:00 p.m., SECN	No. 1	No. 15 UCLA	W 74–64	7–0	18 – Boston	10 – Tied	3 – Tied	Colonial Life Arena (12,501) Columbia, SC
December 3, 2022* 3:00 p.m., SECN+	No. 1	Memphis	W 79–54	8–0	18 – Cardoso	10 – Tied	5 – Johnson	Colonial Life Arena (11,943) Columbia, SC
December 11, 2022* 2:00 p.m., SECN+	No. 1	Liberty	W 88–39	9–0	20 – Cooke	9 – Cardoso	5 – Johnson	Colonial Life Arena (11,787) Columbia, SC
December 15, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 1	vs. South Dakota State	W 62–44	10–0	18 – Cooke	15 – Cardoso	3 – Tied	Sanford Pentagon (2,369) Sioux Falls, SD
December 18, 2022* 2:00 p.m., SECN+	No. 1	Charleston Southern	W 87–23	11–0	16 – Cooke	13 – Boston	3 – Tied	Colonial Life Arena (11,267) Columbia, SC
December 21, 2022* 12:00 p.m., SECN+	No. 1	Coastal Carolina	W 102–39	12–0	16 – Watkins	10 – Boston	6 – Johnson	Colonial Life Arena (11,649) Columbia, SC
December 29, 2022 7:00 p.m., SECN	No. 1	Texas A&M	W 76–34	13–0 (1–0)	15 – Cooper	6 – Tied	2 – Tied	Colonial Life Arena (13,003) Columbia, SC
January 2, 2023 7:00 p.m., SECN	No. 1	at Georgia	W 68–51	14–0 (2–0)	31 – Cooke	7 – Cardoso	5 – Beal	Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) Athens, GA
January 5, 2023 7:00 p.m., SECN+	No. 1	Auburn	W 94–42	15–0 (3–0)	16 – Cardoso	9 – Boston	7 – Johnson	Colonial Life Arena (11,552) Columbia, SC
January 8, 2023 1:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 1	at Mississippi State	W 58–51	16–0 (4–0)	16 – Cooke	15 – Boston	4 – Beal	Humphrey Coliseum (5,776) Starkville, MS
January 12, 2023 7:00 p.m., SECN+	No. 1	at Kentucky	W 95–66	17–0 (5–0)	21 – Boston	11 – Boston	7 – Johnson	Memorial Coliseum (4,016) Lexington, KY
January 15, 2023 1:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 1	Missouri	W 81–50	18–0 (6–0)	20 – Boston	10 – Boston	6 – Beal	Colonial Life Arena (15,444) Columbia, SC
January 19, 2023 7:00 p.m., SECN	No. 1	at Vanderbilt	W 96–48	19–0 (7–0)	17 – Cooke	15 – Cardoso	4 – Johnson	Memorial Gymnasium (3,028) Nashville, TN
January 22, 2023 3:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 1	Arkansas	W 92–46	20–0 (8–0)	24 – Cooke	16 – Cardoso	3 – Tied	Colonial Life Arena (13,349) Columbia, SC
January 29, 2023 1:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 1	at Alabama	W 65–52	21–0 (9–0)	18 – Hall	12 – Boston	4 – Tied	Coleman Coliseum (4,255) Tuscaloosa, AL
February 2, 2023 7:00 p.m., SECN	No. 1	Kentucky	W 87–69	22–0 (10–0)	14 – Tied	14 – Boston	4 – Johnson	Colonial Life Arena (12,743) Columbia, SC
February 5, 2023* 12:00 p.m., FOX	No. 1	at No. 5 UConn	W 81–77	23–0	26 – Boston	12 – Boston	7 – Johnson	XL Center (15,564) Hartford, CT
February 9, 2023 8:00 p.m., SECN+	No. 1	at Auburn	W 83–48	24–0 (11–0)	15 – Cooke	8 – Boston	4 – Tied	Neville Arena (2,860) Auburn, AL
February 12, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 1	No. 3 LSU	W 88–64	25–0 (12–0)	18 – Cardoso	13 – Cardoso	4 – Beal	Colonial Life Arena (18,000) Columbia, SC
February 16, 2023 7:00 p.m., SECN+	No. 1	Florida	W 87–56	26–0 (13–0)	22 – Cooke	11 – Cardoso	3 – Tied	Colonial Life Arena (13,943) Columbia, SC
February 19, 2023 4:00 p.m., SECN	No. 1	at Ole Miss	W 64–57 ^OT	27–0 (14–0)	24 – Cooke	12 – Boston	5 – Beal	SJB Pavilion (6,563) Oxford, MS
February 23, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 1	at Tennessee	W 73–60	28–0 (15–0)	19 – Cooke	15 – Cardoso	5 – Beal	Thompson–Boling Arena (10,297) Knoxville, TN
February 26, 2023 12:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 1	Georgia	W 73–63	29–0 (16–0)	25 – Boston	11 – Boston	4 – Johnson	Colonial Life Arena (18,000) Columbia, SC
SEC Tournament
March 3, 2023 12:00 p.m., SECN	(1) No. 1	vs. (8) Arkansas Quarterfinals	W 93–66	30–0	19 – Saxton	10 – Boston	6 – Johnson	Bon Secours Wellness Arena (7,481) Greenville, SC
March 4, 2023 4:30 p.m., ESPNU	(1) No. 1	vs. (4) Ole Miss Semifinals	W 80–51	31–0	17 – Amihere	12 – Cardoso	7 – Amihere	Bon Secours Wellness Arena (10,471) Greenville, SC
March 5, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN	(1) No. 1	vs. (3) Tennessee SEC Championship/College Gameday	W 74–58	32–0	24 – Cooke	8 – Beal	6 – Beal	Bon Secours Wellness Arena (12,203) Greenville, SC
NCAA Tournament
March 17, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN	(1 G1) No. 1	(16 G1) Norfolk State First Round	W 72–40	33–0	11 – Tied	9 – Boston	7 – Johnson	Colonial Life Arena (10,056) Columbia, SC
March 19, 2023 1:00 p.m., ABC	(1 G1) No. 1	(8 G1) South Florida Second Round	W 76–45	34–0	21 – Cooke	11 – Boston	3 – Tied	Colonial Life Arena (10,335) Columbia, SC
March 25, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN	(1 G1) No. 1	vs. (4 G1) No. 14 UCLA Sweet Sixteen	W 59–43	35–0	10 – Tied	14 – Boston	5 – Fletcher	Bon Secours Wellness Arena (12,879) Greenville, SC
March 27, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN	(1 G1) No. 1	vs. (2 G1) No. 7 Maryland Elite Eight	W 86–75	36–0	22 – Boston	10 – Boston	6 – Beal	Bon Secours Wellness Arena (11,144) Greenville, SC
March 31, 2023* 9:30 p.m., ESPN	(1 G1) No. 1	vs. (2 S4) No. 3 Iowa Final Four	L 73–77^[7]	36–1	24 – Cooke	14 – Cardoso	3 – Boston	American Airlines Center (19,288) Dallas, TX
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. G1=Greenville 1 S4=Seattle 4. All times are in Eastern Time. ^[8]

^[9]

Statistics

Team total per game

Team	PTS	FGM	FGA	FG%	3PM	3PA	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	REB	AST	STL	BLK	ATT
Gamecocks	2606	983	2090	47%	141	448	32%	499	716	70%	1587	537	215	288	199,619
Opponents	1635	599	1907	31%	127	498	26%	310	442	70%	930	257	181	125	113,074

Team average per game

Team	PPG	FG	FG%	3P	3P%	FT	FT%	REB	AST	STL	BLK	ATT
Gamecocks	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–'	–	–
Opponents	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

Individual total per game

Player	GP	MP	PTS	FGM	FGA	FG%	3M	3A	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	ORB	DRB	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK
Aliyah Boston
Zia Cooke
Laeticia Amihere
Victaria Saxton
Kamilla Cardoso
Brea Beal
Bree Hall
Sania Feagin
Olivia Thompson
Raven Johnson
Ashlyn Watkins
Talaysia Cooper
Kierra Fletcher
Chloe Kitts

Individual average per game

Player	GP	MIN	FG%	3P%	FT%	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PPG
Aliyah Boston	31	25	57%	12%	77%	3.4	6.8	9.7	1.8	0.5	2.0	13.3
Zia Cooke	32
Laeticia Amihere
Victoria Saxton
Kamilla Cardoso
Brea Beal
Bree Hall
Sania Feagin
Olivia Thompson
Raven Johnson
Ashlyn Watkins
Talaysia Cooper
Kierra Fletcher
Chloe Kitts

Rankings

Regular Season Polls
Poll	Pre- Season	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Week 5	Week 6	Week 7	Week 8	Week 9	Week 10	Week 11	Week 12	Week 13	Week 14	Week 15	Week 16	Week 17	Week 18	Week 19	Final
AP	1 (30)	1 (30)	1 (29)	1 (29)	1 (29)	1 (28)	1 (28)	1 (28)	1 (28)	1 (28)	1 (28)	1 (28)	1 (28)	1 (28)	1 (28)	1 (27)	1 (28)	1 (28)	1 (28)
Coaches	1 (30)	1 (32)	1 (32)	1 (32)	1 (32)	1 (32)	1 (32)	1 (32)	1 (32)	1 (32)	1 (32)	1 (32)	1 (32)	1 (32)	1 (32)	1 (31)	1 (32)	1 (30)	1 (32)	3

**Legend**
		Increase in ranking
		Decrease in ranking
		Not ranked previous week
RV		Received votes
NR		Not ranked
( )		Number of first place votes

References

^ Adams, Emily (August 26, 2022). "How South Carolina women's basketball, Dawn Staley can finish regular season undefeated". Greenville News. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
^ Adams, Emily (October 26, 2022). "South Carolina has pieces in place to repeat as women's basketball national champions". USA Today. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
^ "2022 women's college basketball recruiting class rankings: UCLA overtakes Oregon at No. 1". ESPN. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
^ "Staley leads South Carolina over UConn for second NCAA title". Gamecocks Online. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
^ "SEC women's basketball order of finish for 2022-23 season projected by USA TODAY Sports Network". USA TODAY Sports Network. October 18, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
^ "Preseason All-SEC women's basketball team, plus player and coach awards for 2022-23 season". Knoxville News Sentinel. November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
^ "Clark scores 41 as Iowa tops defending champ South Carolina". Associated Press. March 31, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
^ 2022–23 Women's Basketball Schedule
^ "Women's Basketball SEC Schedule Announced". GamecocksOnline.com. September 8, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.

[1] Adams, Emily (August 26, 2022). "How South Carolina women's basketball, Dawn Staley can finish regular season undefeated". Greenville News. Retrieved November 15, 2022.

[2] Adams, Emily (October 26, 2022). "South Carolina has pieces in place to repeat as women's basketball national champions". USA Today. Retrieved November 15, 2022.

[3] "2022 women's college basketball recruiting class rankings: UCLA overtakes Oregon at No. 1". ESPN. Retrieved April 8, 2022.

[4] "Staley leads South Carolina over UConn for second NCAA title". Gamecocks Online. Retrieved April 8, 2022.

[5] "SEC women's basketball order of finish for 2022-23 season projected by USA TODAY Sports Network". USA TODAY Sports Network. October 18, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.

[6] "Preseason All-SEC women's basketball team, plus player and coach awards for 2022-23 season". Knoxville News Sentinel. November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.

[7] "Clark scores 41 as Iowa tops defending champ South Carolina". Associated Press. March 31, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2024.

[8] 2022–23 Women's Basketball Schedule

[9] "Women's Basketball SEC Schedule Announced". GamecocksOnline.com. September 8, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.

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v t e South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball
Venues	Carolina Coliseum (1974–2002) Colonial Life Arena (2002–present)
Rivalries	Clemson
Culture & lore	History Cocky "The Fighting Gamecocks Lead the Way" The Freshies Garnet Army Full Court Press
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders Retired jerseys
Seasons	1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

Previous season

Offseason

2022 recruiting class

Incoming transfers

Preseason

Award watch lists

Preseason All-American teams

SEC coaches poll

SEC Media Poll

Preseason All-SEC teams

Roster

Starting lineup

Schedule

Statistics

Team total per game

Team average per game

Individual total per game

Individual average per game

Rankings

See also

References