How to watch, what to know as No. 1 USC women’s basketball visits No. 2 Stanford
An East Coast vs. West Coast showdown will take place this weekend between two elite women’s college basketball squads.
South Carolina women’s basketball will visit No. 2 Stanford on Sunday with a 3 p.m. tipoff. This is the second year in a row they are facing off as the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country.
Stanford leads the all-time series 6-2, but South Carolina has won two of the last three meetings against the Cardinal.
SOUTH CAROLINA VS. STANFORD GAME INFO
Who: No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks (3-0) vs. No. 2 Stanford Cardinal (5-0)
Where: Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif.
When: 3 p.m. Sunday
TV: ABC
Stream: via ESPN app/ESPN.com
LAST YEAR’S GAME
South Carolina won the game last December, but it didn’t look promising early on.
The Gamecocks hosted Stanford in hopes of avenging their tough Final Four loss from the year before, when USC missed two short, game-winning shot attempts in the closing seconds and Tara VanDerveer’s squad went on to claim the national championship.
The Cardinal got out to a big lead in Colonial Life Arena and led by 14 at halftime. South Carolina struggled from the floor early and managed 28 points through two quarters.
But the Gamecocks held Stanford to seven points in the third quarter and took the lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
Aliyah Boston put South Carolina ahead late with a layup, and the Gamecocks extended the lead from there with free throws.
Boston led the way with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Destanni Henderson pitched in 17 points and seven steals for the Gamecocks. Lexie Hull led Stanford with 17 points.
EARLY DOMINANCE FROM REIGNING CHAMPS
South Carolina this season brought back four of its five starters from its national championship run.
The team is off to a hot start offensively, scoring 80 or more points in each of its first three games.
USC is overwhelming teams with its size, with six players in its rotation standing 6-foot-2 or taller. South Carolina is averaging 48 points in the paint through three games.
It’s paying off on the defensive end as well, as the team averages 9.7 blocks per game.
Four players for USC are scoring 10 or more points per game, including freshman forward Ashlyn Watkins, who made the first in-game dunk in program history in Thursday’s win over Clemson.
The Gamecocks will have to work on their ball control against the second-ranked Cardinal. They have 20 or more turnovers in each of the last two games.
THE CRUISING CARDINAL
Stanford’s already played five games this season, gliding through each one.
The team has won its games by an average of 46.6 points. Four of Stanford’s players average 10 or more points per game.
The Cardinal like to shoot the ball from the outside, and they do it well. The team is shooting 41% from 3-point range this season. They also have the size to keep up with South Carolina, unlike most teams on the Gamecocks’ schedule.
Stanford is averaging 47.4 rebounds per game, compared with USC’s 50.7 rebounding average.
Freshman Lauren Betts is making an immediate impact for the Cardinal. The 6-foot-7 center is third on the team in scoring and second in blocks and rebounds.
Haley Jones, Cameron Brink and Hannah Jump have started all five games for Stanford and were members of the 2021 national championship team.
QUICK NOTES
The teams account for the last two women’s basketball national championships. Dawn Staley has won two national titles in her career, and Tara VanDerveer has won three.
South Carolina and Stanford combined for five players on the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list: Aliyah Boston, Zia Cooke and Brea Beal for USC, and Haley Jones and Cameron Brink for the Cardinal.
Zia Cooke is leading the Gamecocks in scoring through three games with 16.7 points per game. Senior guard Hannah Jump is leading Stanford at 13.2 points per game.
South Carolina is in the midst of a four-game road trip. This will be the second of a two-game homestand for Stanford.
In the ninth meeting between the teams, this is only the third time that Stanford will host South Carolina. Three of the games have been in Columbia, two have been in Stanford and the others have been played at neutral sites.
The Gamecocks have not left the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press poll since it was voted as the preseason top team last season. Stanford’s been the No. 2 team since Week 7 of last year.
USC’s Destanni Henderson departed for the WNBA after last season, as did Stanford’s Lexie Hull. Both currently play for the Indiana Fever.
GAMECOCKS AND CARDINAL PLAYERS TO WATCH
Aliyah Boston, F, South Carolina: Boston is the reigning National Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. She’s averaging a double-double early on with 13 points and 10 rebounds per game. Her midrange shooting ability combined with her efficient post scoring helped her stay consistent in her decorated junior season.
Zia Cooke, G, South Carolina: Cooke has been in rhythm for South Carolina so far. She leads the team in scoring with 16.7 points per game and is shooting 50% from three-point range. Cooke is a two-time All-SEC team selection at South Carolina.
Haley Jones, G, Stanford: Jones made the preseason All-American team with Boston, an honor she’s earned twice in her career. Her points per game are down from a year ago because of Stanford’s well-rounded scoring distribution, but she’s continued to get her teammates involved with a 3.8 assists per game average. With her 6-foot-1 frame, she’s a strong rebounding guard and averages 5.6 boards a game.
Cameron Brink, F, Stanford: Brink is excelling at both ends of the court for Stanford. She’s averaging 10 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, but also has a team-high 3.8 blocked shots per game. Brink was the Defensive Player of the Year in the Pac-12 last year, and was a third-team All-American.
Next 4 USC WBB games
Sunday: at Stanford, 3 p.m. (ABC)
Tuesday: at Cal Poly, 8 p.m.
Nov. 27: vs. Hampton, noon (SEC Network Plus)
Nov. 29: vs. UCLA, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
This story was originally published November 18, 2022 at 10:21 AM.
