‘Super special’ crowd helps No. 1 Gamecocks seize national stage, win over Lady Vols
There were moments throughout South Carolina’s 67-53 win over Tennessee on Sunday when the Lady Vols couldn’t hear head coach Kellie Harper speak to them from just feet away.
USC freshman Saniya Rivers admitted the Gamecocks’ sellout crowd was “nerve-wracking.” National Player of the Year candidate Aliyah Boston said she knew what to expect and played through the excitement.
Dawn Staley called the crowd “super special.”
The Gamecocks have led the nation in average women’s college basketball attendance for seven straight years and lead again in the 2021-22 season, averaging 12,307 before Sunday. USC counted a sellout for the regular-season home finale — 18,000 in Colonial Life Arena — for its first full capacity crowd of the year.
With the game televised on ABC (South Carolina’s first appearance on the network), plenty of eyes watched the No. 1 Gamecocks earn the SEC regular-season title in a 14-point win over No. 12 Tennessee on Sunday. South Carolina also clinched the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and recorded an 11th win over Top-25 opponents.
“We wanted electricity in the building,” Staley said. “We knew that we were center stage as far as women’s basketball today ... I just thought they, as they have for the past eight years, made this place a really hard place to win.”
Staley said that electricity may have affected the Gamecocks the wrong way early, as they struggled shooting from the field in the first half. But second-half adjustments helped South Carolina pull out a third-straight double-digit victory in conference play.
“I think it had an effect on our team at the beginning of the game,” Staley said. “But we recalibrated and found a way to gut out a win.”
Rivers had to settle in with the raucous crowd as she earned extended minutes on the floor against the Lady Vols. The freshman scored seven points and recorded four assists and two rebounds in 20 minutes of play.
“Honestly, I’ve never played in front of a crowd that big,” Rivers said. “But having the support of my teammates, seeing that they were OK, it made me feel a little at ease. It was easy to adjust to, and I’m glad I have them to help me out.”
Staley said crowds like the one at Sunday’s game turn USC’s recruiting points into reality.
When she goes into a prospect’s home and tells them about the Gamecocks’ average attendance, Staley said “over 12,000 fans” often seems like just a number. That number comes to life once players and families experience women’s basketball at Colonial Life Arena.
“It’s super special,” Staley said. “You feel good about knowing that no other fan base looks like ours. ... For them to fill this place up and make our living room conversations truth, I think it’s special what we’ve been able to do here.”
From Tennessee’s perspective, Harper opened her postgame statement to reporters by complimenting the Gamecocks’ crowd. She admitted the Lady Vols had to play through noise, but Harper had nothing but positive remarks on how South Carolina’s devoted fan base grows the excitement around women’s basketball.
“I thought this was absolutely terrific,” Harper said. “You’ve got so many eyes on our sport, on women’s basketball and excitement about it. You couldn’t tell me those fans didn’t have a ball today. They had an absolute ball, and they would have had no more fun watching any other sport than women’s basketball today.”
South Carolina closes the 2021-22 regular season with a pair of road games at Texas A&M on Thursday and Ole Miss next Sunday. The Gamecocks will clinch the SEC regular-season title outright with a win over either the Aggies or Rebels.
Next South Carolina women’s basketball game
Who: No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks (25-1, 13-1 SEC) vs. Texas A&M Aggies (14-11, 4-9 SEC)
When: 8:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Reed Arena in College Station, Texas
Watch: SEC Network
This story was originally published February 20, 2022 at 6:34 PM.
