South Carolina vs. UConn officially a sellout

The South Carolina women’s basketball team will play in front of its first-ever sold-out crowd at Colonial Life Arena when the No. 2 Gamecocks host No. 1 UConn on Monday night.

The Gamecock Athletics Ticket Office announced the sellout on Friday. In the 18,000-seat facility, it will be the largest crowd ever to watch an NCAA women’s basketball game in the state of South Carolina.

“I’m tremendously excited for our community, our university and our students that the game is sold out,” coach Dawn Staley said in a statement. “It’s an atmosphere that will create memories for our players, long-lasting memories. I’m hoping that there is magic in the building for us to play well and keep our home winning streak going.”

The game is at 7 p.m. Monday on ESPN2.

USC is 22-0 (10-0 SEC) after a 78-68 win Thursday night over Kentucky. UConn (21-0) defeated Tulane 96-38 on Wednesday and hosts East Carolina on Saturday.

South Carolina leads the nation in average attendance this season with 14,557 fans per game through 11 home games.

Monday’s game will be the Gamecocks’ third No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown and the second with UConn in as many seasons. Last season, then-No. 1 South Carolina traveled to then-No. 2 UConn on Feb. 9 with the Huskies winning 87-62.

South Carolina’s first appearance in a 1-vs.-2 game was on Jan. 8, 1982, when then-No. 1 Louisiana Tech defeated then-No. 2 South Carolina at Carolina Coliseum.

The USC men’s basketball team’s Feb. 13 home game against Kentucky also is sold out, the school announced Friday. The Gamecocks rank fifth in the SEC in attendance, as an average of 11,822 fans attend home games this season, and that number jumps to an average of 15,302 fans for SEC contests at Colonial Life Arena in 2016.

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 12:11 PM with the headline "South Carolina vs. UConn officially a sellout."