Despite the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Tournament, the 2019-20 South Carolina women’s basketball team had a historic season. All notes are compiled by USC Athletics Communications and Public Relations
FINAL RANKING: AP # 1, USA TODAY / WBCA # 1
SEC REGULAR-SEASON CHAMPION // SEC TOURNAMENT CHAMPION
32-1 GENERAL // 16-0 SEC // 13-1 VS. RANKED
TEAM NOTABLES
South Carolina finished at the top of the two national polls for the first time in the program’s history. The Gamecocks’ held the top spot in the AP Poll for 10 weeks, more than any other team this season.
South Carolina has won its fifth SEC regular season title in seven seasons and its fifth crown in SEC tournaments over the past six seasons. He holds two of the SEC’s four 16-0 records in league history.
Complete closing notes for the USC season
South Carolina’s powerful attack was sixth in the country, with a school record of 82.0 points per game and scored less than 80 points just 13 times in 33 games. Although no Gamecock was among the top 15 in SEC scoring, four appeared in the next four positions.
The South Carolina bench was one of the most dominant at the conference and possibly in the country. With the same starting lineup throughout the season, the six off-bench Gamecocks averaged 26.3 points per game – 32.1% of the attack – led by Destanni Henderson’s 8.5 points per game.
South Carolina’s defense was 20th in the country, yielding just 56.1 points per game, including only 62.7 points per game against qualified opponents. He kept a single digit opponent in 28 quarters in 20 games, including five against ranked teams. Gamecocks also led the country in blocks per game (8.6).
The Gamecocks’ balanced effort yielded a school record of +25.9 scoring margin, ranking sixth in the country.
Gamecocks’ 46.5 rebounds per game broke a 32-year school record and placed second in the country. His school record of +12.4 margin rebound came in third in the country, and his offensive rebound rate of 44.0 percent led the country.
As it was always a staple, South Carolina dominated painting on both ends of the floor. Gamecocks averaged 42.4 points in paint (51.6 percent of the total attack), while allowing opponents only 25.8 points per game. The paint score was evenly distributed between posts (51.1%) and guards (48.9%).
INDIVIDUAL NOTABLES
Dawn Staley became the first former Naismith Player of the Year (1991, 1992) to be named Naismith Coach of the Year. She was the unanimous national coach of the year in all the media that awarded this award.
Aliyah Boston became Gamecocks’ first national freshman of the year and was the unanimous choice for the award in all establishments that awarded it.
Tyasha Harris senior became the third Gamecock in the Dawn Staley it was to end the season as a finalist for the three national player awards of the year – Naismith Trophy, Wade Trophy, Madeira Award. She joined Tiffany Mitchell and A’ja Wilson in that category.
Boston joined ex-Gamecock Alaina Coates as the only one for SEC Freshmen of the Year in league history to also win another of the SEC’s biggest individual awards by adding the SEC Defensive Player of the Year to its award.
Mikiah Herbert Harrrigan senior won his first All-SEC selection and scored an excellent season by receiving MVP honors from the SEC tournament after averaging 14.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in the event.
Boston became the first player in the Div NCAA. I history of women’s basketball to open her career with a triple-double – 12 points, 12 rebounds, 10 blocks against the state of Alabama on November 5, 2019.
Veterans Tyasha Harris and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan reached 1,000 career points.
When Zia Cooke scored 27 points at Dayton (Nov. 13), it was the highest score for a Gamecock freshman since December 2009. She added three games of 20 points against SEC opponents for the majority for a Gamecock freshman.
Brea Beal ended the season with five double-digit rebound games, including a double-double in the SEC Tournament championship game. She hit the mark for the first time in her second and third games in her career, becoming the first freshman with consecutive double-digit rebound games since Wilson in 2014-15.
AWARDS
Aliyah Boston
Lisa Leslie Center of the Year
National Freshman of the Year (ESPN, USBWA, WBCA)
Second All-America Team (USBWA, AP)
All-America Honorable Mention (WBCA)
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Finalist
SEC Freshman of the Year
SEC defensive player of the year
All-SEC First Team
SEC freshman team
SEC’s fully defensive team
2x USBWA National Freshman of the Week
5x SEC Freshman of the week
Paradise Jam, Reef Division MVP
Zia Cooke
SEC freshman team
Tyasha Harris
Dawn Staley Premium
All-America (WBCA, Wood Award)
Third team all over America (USBWA, AP)
Naismith Trophy Finalist
Finalist of the Wade Trophy
Finalist of the Wood Award
Nancy Lieberman Award Finalist
All-SEC First Team
Team from all SEC tournaments
2x SEC player of the week
ESPNW Player of the Week
Destanni Henderson
Team from all SEC tournaments
Mikiah Herbert Harrigan
Second All-SEC Team
SEC tournament MVP
Dawn Staley
National Coach of the Year (AP, ESPN, Naismith, WBCA, USBWA)
SEC coach of the year
NEW PROGRAM RECORDS
TEAM
games
17 blocks vs. Appalachian State, 11/17/19
0 points allowed in a room, on Ole Miss, 1/30/20, 1st quarter
Season
0.970 winning percentage
26 consecutive wins
82.0 points per game
+25.9 scoring margin
46.5 rebounds per game
+12.4 recovery margin
284 shots blocked
INDIVIDUAL
Brea Beal
33 games started by a freshman
Aliyah Boston
13 double-doubles for a freshman
9.4 average freshman recovery
117 offensive rebounds by a freshman
86 blocks for a freshman
33 games started by a freshman
25 rebounds from a single freshman game (vs. Arkansas, 1/9/20)
Zia Cooke
33 games started by a freshman
Tyasha Harris
702 career assists
Career assistance ratio for turnover of 2.55
139 career games played