2023–24 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team

2023–24 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball
2023–24 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball
Aflac Oui-Play champions; Jimmy V Women's Classic champions; Hall of Fame Showcase champions; SEC regular season champions; SEC tournament champions; NCAA champions
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 1
AP	No. 1
Record	38–0 (16–0 SEC)
Head coach	Dawn Staley (16th season);
Assistant coaches	Lisa Boyer; Winston Gandy; Jolette Law; Khadijah Sessions; Mary Wooley;
Home arena	Colonial Life Arena
	Seasons ← 2022–23 2024–25 →

2023–24 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	38	–	0	1.000
No. 6 LSU	13	–	3	.813	31	–	6	.838
Ole Miss	12	–	4	.750	24	–	9	.727
Alabama	10	–	6	.625	24	–	10	.706
Tennessee	10	–	6	.625	20	–	13	.606
Vanderbilt	9	–	7	.563	23	–	10	.697
Mississippi State	8	–	8	.500	23	–	12	.657
Auburn	8	–	8	.500	20	–	12	.625
Texas A&M	6	–	10	.375	19	–	13	.594
Arkansas	6	–	10	.375	18	–	15	.545
Florida	5	–	11	.313	16	–	16	.500
Kentucky	4	–	12	.250	12	–	20	.375
Georgia	3	–	13	.188	12	–	18	.400
Missouri	2	–	14	.125	11	–	19	.367

† 2024 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

The 2023–24 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Gamecocks, led by sixteenth-year head coach Dawn Staley, played their home games at Colonial Life Arena and competed as members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Staley won her 600th game as head coach on February 22, 2024, in 786 games (534 at South Carolina).^[1] The season saw the Gamecocks not only capture their third national title in the history of the school's women's basketball program, but also become the 10th Division I women's basketball team to finish the season undefeated.^[2]^[3]

Previous season

The Gamecocks finished the season 36–1 (16–0 SEC). They won the SEC regular season and tournament championships and received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, where they defeated Norfolk State, South Florida, UCLA, and Maryland before falling to Iowa in the Final Four.

Offseason

Departures

South Carolina Departures
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Year	Hometown	Notes	Ref
Olivia Thompson	0	G	5'8"	Senior	Lexington, SC	Graduated
Zia Cooke	1	G	5'9"	Senior	Toledo, OH	Drafted tenth overall by the Los Angeles Sparks
Aliyah Boston	4	F	6'5"	Senior	St. Thomas, USVI	Drafted first overall by the Indiana Fever
Victaria Saxton	5	F	6'2"	Senior	Rome, GA	Drafted twenty-fifth overall by the Indiana Fever
Talaysia Cooper	11	G	6'0"	Freshman	Turbeville, SC	Transferred to Tennessee	^[4]
Brea Beal	12	G	6'1"	Senior	Rock Island, IL	Drafted twenty-fourth overall by the Minnesota Lynx
Laeticia Amihere	15	F	6'4"	Senior	Mississauga, ON	Drafted eighth overall by the Atlanta Dream
Kierra Fletcher	41	G	5'9"	Graduate Student	Warren, MI	Graduated

2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight
MiLaysia Fulwiley G	Columbia, SC	W.J. Keenan HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	N/A
MiLaysia Fulwiley G	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 96
Tessa Johnson G	Albertville, MN	St. Michael-Albertville HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	N/A
Tessa Johnson G	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 95
Sahnya Jah F	Alexandria, VA	Montverde Academy	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	N/A
Sahnya Jah F	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 94
Overall recruiting rankings:
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:

Incoming transfers

South Carolina Incoming Transfers
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Year	Hometown	Previous school
Te-Hina Paopao	0	G	5'9"	Senior	Oceanside, CA	Oregon
Sakima Walker	25	C	6'5"	Senior	Columbus, OH	Northwest Florida State College
^[5]

Roster

2023–24 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	Te-Hina Paopao	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	Sr	La Jolla Country Day School Oregon	Oceanside, CA
F	2	Ashlyn Watkins	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	So	Cardinal Newman HS	Columbia, SC
G	5	Tessa Johnson	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	Fr	St. Michael-Albertville HS	Albertville, MN
C	10	Kamilla Cardoso	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	Sr	Hamilton Heights Christian Academy Syracuse	Montes Claros, Brazil
G	12	MiLaysia Fulwiley	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	Fr	W.J. Keenan HS	Columbia, SC
F	20	Sania Feagin	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	Jr	Forest Park HS	Ellenwood, GA
F	21	Chloe Kitts	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	So	DME Academy	Oviedo, FL
G	23	Bree Hall	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	Jr	Wayne HS	Dayton, OH
F	24	Sahnya Jah	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	Fr	Montverde Academy	Alexandria, VA
G	25	Raven Johnson	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	So	Westlake HS	Atlanta, GA
C	35	Sakima Walker	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	Sr	Columbus Africentric Early College Northwest Florida State College	Columbus, OH

Head coach

Dawn Staley (Virginia)

Assistant coach(es)

Lisa Boyer (Ithaca)
Winston Gandy (Maryland)
Jolette Law (Iowa)
Khadijah Sessions (South Carolina)
Mary Wooley (USC Aiken)

Legend

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

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

SEC Media Poll

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

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 22, 2023* 1:00 p.m.	No. 6	Rutgers Nikki McCray-Penson memorial exhibition	W 100–55		17 – Cardoso	10 – Kitts	9 – R. Johnson	Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC
Regular season
November 6, 2023* 1:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 6	vs. No. 10 Notre Dame Aflac Oui-Play	W 100–71	1–0	20 – Cardoso	15 – Cardoso	7 – R. Johnson	Halle Georges Carpentier (3,203) Paris, France
November 12, 2023* 1:00 p.m., ABC	No. 6	No. 14 Maryland	W 114–76	2–0	14 – PaoPao	11 – Watkins	8 – Tied	Colonial Life Arena (16,007) Columbia, SC
November 16, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN	No. 1	Clemson Rivalry	W 109–40	3–0	18 – Fulwiley	13 – Cardoso	17 – R. Johnson	Colonial Life Arena (16,820) Columbia, SC
November 20, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN+	No. 1	South Dakota State	W 78–38	4–0	23 – Cardoso	10 – Cardoso	6 – R. Johnson	Colonial Life Arena (14,799) Columbia, SC
November 24, 2023* 1:00 p.m., SECN+	No. 1	Mississippi Valley State	W 101–19	5–0	17 – Fulwiley	10 – Cardoso	5 – Tied	Colonial Life Arena (14,558) Columbia, SC
November 30, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 1	at No. 24 North Carolina ACC–SEC Challenge	W 65–58	6–0	15 – Hall	16 – Cardoso	4 – PaoPao	Carmichael Arena (6,319) Chapel Hill, NC
December 3, 2023* 1:00 p.m., ABC	No. 1	at Duke Jimmy V Classic	W 77–61	7–0	15 – Cardoso	14 – Cardoso	4 – R. Johnson	Cameron Indoor Stadium (5,607) Durham, NC
December 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN+	No. 1	Morgan State	W 104–38	8–0	16 – T. Johnson	14 – Kitts	6 – Fulwiley	Colonial Life Arena (16,181) Columbia, SC
December 10, 2023* 2:30 p.m., ESPN	No. 1	vs. No. 11 Utah Hall of Fame Showcase	W 78–69	9–0	17 – Cardoso	7 – Kitts	4 – Tied	Mohegan Sun Arena (8,428) Uncasville, CT
December 16, 2023* 1:00 p.m., SECN+	No. 1	Presbyterian	W 99–29	10–0	18 – Fulwiley	12 – Watkins	6 – PaoPao	Colonial Life Arena (15,176) Columbia, SC
December 19, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 1	at Bowling Green	W 93–62	11–0	21 – Kitts	8 – Watkins	6 – PaoPao	Stroh Center (4,195) Bowling Green, OH
December 30, 2023* 12:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 1	at East Carolina	W 73–36	12–0	12 – Tied	10 – Tied	5 – Cardoso	Williams Arena (5,717) Greenville, NC
January 4, 2024 7:00 p.m., SECN	No. 1	at Florida	W 89–66	13–0 (1–0)	17 – Paopao	15 – Cardoso	5 – R. Johnson	O'Connell Center (4,192) Gainesville, FL
January 7, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 1	Mississippi State	W 85–66	14–0 (2–0)	15 – Hall	14 – Cardoso	6 – Cardoso	Colonial Life Arena (15,751) Columbia, SC
January 11, 2024 8:00 p.m., SECN+	No. 1	at Missouri	W 81–57	15–0 (3–0)	21 – Hall	8 – Cardoso	4 – Feagin	Mizzou Arena (4,533) Columbia, MO
January 15, 2024 7:00 p.m., SECN	No. 1	Kentucky	W 98–36	16–0 (4–0)	14 – Tied	11 – Cardoso	6 – R. Johnson	Colonial Life Arena (15,929) Columbia, SC
January 21, 2024 5:00 p.m., SECN	No. 1	at Texas A&M	W 99–64	17–0 (5–0)	21 – Fulwiley	13 – Cardoso	5 – Tied	Reed Arena (5,924) College Station, TX
January 25, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 1	at No. 9 LSU College GameDay	W 76–70	18–0 (6–0)	14 – Kitts	9 – R. Johnson	6 – PaoPao	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (13,205) Baton Rouge, LA
January 28, 2024 3:00 p.m., SECN	No. 1	Vanderbilt	W 91–74	19–0 (7–0)	23 – Cardoso	8 – Watkins	7 – R. Johnson	Colonial Life Arena (18,000) Columbia, SC
February 1, 2024 8:00 p.m., SECN+	No. 1	at Auburn	W 76–54	20–0 (8–0)	15 – Fulwiley	15 – Watkins	5 – R. Johnson	Neville Arena (4,814) Auburn, AL
February 4, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 1	Ole Miss	W 85–56	21–0 (9–0)	17 – Cardoso	10 – Watkins	6 – R. Johnson	Colonial Life Arena (18,000) Columbia, SC
February 8, 2024 7:00 p.m., SECN	No. 1	Missouri	W 83–45	22–0 (10–0)	19 – Fulwiley	8 – Tied	5 – T. Johnson	Colonial Life Arena (15,236) Columbia, SC
February 11, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 1	No. 11 UConn	W 83–65	23–0	21 – PaoPao	12 – R. Johnson	5 – R. Johnson	Colonial Life Arena (18,167) Columbia, SC
February 15, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 1	at Tennessee	W 66–55	24–0 (11–0)	18 – Cardoso	15 – R. Johnson	5 – R. Johnson	Thompson–Boling Arena (11,073) Knoxville, TN
February 18, 2024 1:00 p.m., ABC	No. 1	Georgia College GameDay	W 70–56	25–0 (12–0)	16 – Cardoso	16 – Cardoso	5 – Tied	Colonial Life Arena (18,478) Columbia, SC
February 22, 2024 7:00 p.m., SECN	No. 1	Alabama	W 72–44	26–0 (13–0)	14 – Watkins	10 – Watkins	4 – Paopao	Colonial Life Arena (16,229) Columbia, SC
February 25, 2024 3:00 p.m., SECN	No. 1	at Kentucky	W 103–55	27–0 (14–0)	17 – Fulwiley	12 – Kitts	5 – Tied	Rupp Arena (5,626) Lexington, KY
February 29, 2024 9:00 p.m., SECN	No. 1	at Arkansas	W 98–61	28–0 (15–0)	21 – Watkins	11 – Watkins	7 – R. Johnson	Bud Walton Arena (3,891) Fayetteville, AR
March 3, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 1	Tennessee	W 76–68	29–0 (16–0)	18 – Cardoso	14 – Cardoso	4 – Tied	Colonial Life Arena (18,000) Columbia, SC
SEC Tournament
March 8, 2024 12:00 p.m., SECN	(1) No. 1	vs. (9) Texas A&M Quarterfinals	W 79–68	30–0	17 – Cardoso	6 – Cardoso	5 – R. Johnson	Bon Secours Wellness Arena (8,841) Greenville, SC
March 9, 2024 4:30 p.m., ESPNU	(1) No. 1	vs. (5) Tennessee Semifinals	W 74–73	31–0	13 – Tied	7 – R. Johnson	4 – R. Johnson	Bon Secours Wellness Arena (12,784) Greenville, SC
March 10, 2024 3:00 p.m., ESPN	(1) No. 1	vs. (2) No. 8 LSU Championship	W 79–72	32–0	24 – Fulwiley	6 – Tied	5 – Tied	Bon Secours Wellness Arena (13,163) Greenville, SC
NCAA Tournament
March 22, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN	(1 A1) No. 1	(16 A1) Presbyterian First round	W 91–39	33–0	21 – Kitts	13 – Kitts	4 – Tied	Colonial Life Arena (11,536) Columbia, SC
March 24, 2024* 1:00 p.m., ABC	(1 A1) No. 1	(8 A1) North Carolina Second round	W 88–41	34–0	20 – Fulwiley	10 – Cardoso	6 – PaoPao	Colonial Life Arena (14,266) Columbia, SC
March 29, 2024* 5:00 p.m., ESPN	(1 A1) No. 1	vs. (4 A1) No. 14 Indiana Sweet Sixteen	W 79–75	35–0	22 – Cardoso	7 – Cardoso	6 – Johnson	MVP Arena (13,597) Albany, NY
March 31, 2024* 1:00 p.m., ABC	(1 A1) No. 1	vs. (3 A1) No. 12 Oregon State Elite Eight	W 70–58	36–0	15 – T. Johnson	14 – Watkins	6 – R. Johnson	MVP Arena (13,568) Albany, NY
April 5, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN	(1 A1) No. 1	vs. (3 P4) No. 11 NC State Final Four	W 78–59	37–0	22 – Cardoso	20 – Watkins	6 – PaoPao	Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (18,284) Cleveland, OH
April 7, 2024* 3:00 p.m., ABC	(1 A1) No. 1	vs. (1 A2) No. 2 Iowa National Championship	W 87–75	38–0	19 – T. Johnson	17 – Cardoso	4 – Fulwiley	Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (18,300) Cleveland, OH
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. A1=Albany 1. P4=Portland 4. All times are in Eastern Time. ^[6]

Rankings

NOTE: AP never releases final ranking.

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	Final
AP	6	1 (23)	1 (36)	1 (36)	1 (35)	1 (36)	1 (35)	1 (36)	1 (35)	1 (34)	1 (36)	1 (35)	1 (35)	1 (35)	1 (35)	1 (35)	1 (35)	1 (35)	1 (35)	1 (35)	1 (35)
Coaches	4	1 (23)	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 (32)	1 (32)	1 (32)	1 (30)	1

References

^ "No. 1 South Carolina wins share of SEC regular-season title with 72–44 victory over Alabama". gamecocksonline.com. February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
^ Gerike, Evan (April 7, 2024). "South Carolina women's basketball beats Iowa, 87-75, to claim undefeated NCAA championship". Greenville News. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
^ Cohen, Rebecca (April 7, 2024). "South Carolina wins it all, 87-75". NBC News. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
^ "2022 McDonald's All-American Cooper Inks With Lady Vols". utsports.com. August 9, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
^ "Te-Hina Paopao transfers to South Carolina after Oregon stint". espn.com. April 24, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
^ "Staley Completes 2023-24 Regular-Season Slate". gamecocksonline.com. September 19, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.

[1] "No. 1 South Carolina wins share of SEC regular-season title with 72–44 victory over Alabama". gamecocksonline.com. February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.

[2] Gerike, Evan (April 7, 2024). "South Carolina women's basketball beats Iowa, 87-75, to claim undefeated NCAA championship". Greenville News. Retrieved April 7, 2024.

[3] Cohen, Rebecca (April 7, 2024). "South Carolina wins it all, 87-75". NBC News. Retrieved April 7, 2024.

[4] "2022 McDonald's All-American Cooper Inks With Lady Vols". utsports.com. August 9, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.

[5] "Te-Hina Paopao transfers to South Carolina after Oregon stint". espn.com. April 24, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.

[6] "Staley Completes 2023-24 Regular-Season Slate". gamecocksonline.com. September 19, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

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

Departures

2023 recruiting class

Incoming transfers

Roster

SEC Media Poll

Schedule and results

Rankings

See also

References