# 2022–23 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team

The 2022–23 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Gamecocks, led by 15th-year head coach Dawn Staley, played their home games at Colonial Life Arena and competed as members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

## Previous season

The Gamecocks finished the season with a 35–2 overall record and a 15–1 record in conference play. The Gamecocks lost the SEC Tournament. They therefore received an at-large bid to the 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, where they reached the national championship, defeating UConn 64–49.

## Offseason
### 2022 recruiting class

The Gamecocks signed the #6 class for 2022 according to ESPN.
Chloe Kitts reclassified to the class of 2022.
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Ashlyn Watkins #4 P | Columbia, SC | Cardinal Newman | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | N/A | Nov 17, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 97 ||||||
| Talyasia Cooper #4 PG | Turbeville, SC | East Clarendon | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | N/A | Oct 23, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 96 ||||||
| Chloe Kitts #3 F | Oviedo, FL | DME Academy | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | N/A | Nov 4, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 96 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ESPN: 6 ||||||
| 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: "2022 South Carolina Gamecocks Player Commits". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022. ||||||

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Kierra Fletcher | 41 | G | 5'9" | 5th Year | Warren, MI | Transferred from Georgia Tech. |

## Preseason

Hall of Fame coach Dawn Staley enters her fifteenth year at South Carolina, fresh off winning her 2nd national championship in the 2022 Women's Final Four winning all six games as head coach of South Carolina.

### Award watch lists

| Award | Player | Position | Year |

### SEC coaches poll

The SEC coaches poll was released on October 18, 2022.
Coaches poll :
| Predicted finish | Team |
| 1 | South Carolina |
| 2 | Tennessee |
| 3 | LSU |
| 4 | Ole Miss |
| 5 | Arkansas |
| 6 | Georgia |
| 7 | Alabama |
| 8 | Florida |
| 9 | Mississippi State |
| 10 | Kentucky |
| 11 | Texas A&M |
| 12 | Missouri |
| 13 | Auburn |
| 14 | Vanderbilt |

### SEC Media Poll

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

### Preseason All-SEC teams

The preseason all-SEC women's basketball team was announced on November 3, 2022.

## Starting lineup

| South Carolina | Position |
| Aliyah Boston | F |
| Victaria Saxton | F |
| Brea Beal | G |
| Zia Cooke | G |
| Kierra Fletcher | G |

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 31, 2022* 7:00 p.m. | No. 1 | Benedict | W 123–32 | | 19 – Tied | 12 – Feagin | 6 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 7, 2022* 8:30 p.m., SECN | No. 1 | East Tennessee State | W 101–31 | 1–0 | 17 – Cooke | 11 – Boston | 4 – Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (12,779) Columbia, SC |
| November 11, 2022* 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 1 | at No. 17 Maryland | W 81–56 | 2–0 | 18 – Cooke | 13 – Boston | 4 – Beal | Xfinity Center (9,244) College Park, MD |
| November 17, 2022* 6:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 1 | at Clemson | W 85–31 | 3–0 | 15 – Cooke | 7 – Beal | 5 – Johnson | Littlejohn Coliseum (3,051) Clemson, SC |
| November 20, 2022* 3:00 p.m., ABC | No. 1 | at No. 2 Stanford | W 76–71 $^{OT}$ | 4–0 | 14 – Boston | 13 – Boston | 4 – Cooke | Maples Pavilion (7,287) Stanford, CA |
| November 22, 2022* 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 1 | at Cal Poly | W 79–36 | 5–0 | 13 – Amihere | 11 – Watkins | 5 – Tied | Mott Athletics Center (2,384) San Luis Obispo, CA |
| November 27, 2022* 12:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 1 | Hampton | W 85–38 | 6–0 | 14 – Tied | 14 – Cardoso | 5 – Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (11,659) Columbia, SC |
| November 29, 2022* 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 1 | No. 15 UCLA | W 74–64 | 7–0 | 18 – Boston | 10 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (12,501) Columbia, SC |
| December 3, 2022* 3:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 1 | Memphis | W 79–54 | 8–0 | 18 – Cardoso | 10 – Tied | 5 – Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (11,943) Columbia, SC |
| December 11, 2022* 2:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 1 | Liberty | W 88–39 | 9–0 | 20 – Cooke | 9 – Cardoso | 5 – Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (11,787) Columbia, SC |
| December 15, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 1 | vs. South Dakota State | W 62–44 | 10–0 | 18 – Cooke | 15 – Cardoso | 3 – Tied | Sanford Pentagon (2,369) Sioux Falls, SD |
| December 18, 2022* 2:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 1 | Charleston Southern | W 87–23 | 11–0 | 16 – Cooke | 13 – Boston | 3 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (11,267) Columbia, SC |
| December 21, 2022* 12:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 1 | Coastal Carolina | W 102–39 | 12–0 | 16 – Watkins | 10 – Boston | 6 – Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (11,649) Columbia, SC |
| December 29, 2022 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 1 | Texas A&M | W 76–34 | 13–0 (1–0) | 15 – Cooper | 6 – Tied | 2 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (13,003) Columbia, SC |
| January 2, 2023 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 1 | at Georgia | W 68–51 | 14–0 (2–0) | 31 – Cooke | 7 – Cardoso | 5 – Beal | Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) Athens, GA |
| January 5, 2023 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 1 | Auburn | W 94–42 | 15–0 (3–0) | 16 – Cardoso | 9 – Boston | 7 – Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (11,552) Columbia, SC |
| January 8, 2023 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 1 | at Mississippi State | W 58–51 | 16–0 (4–0) | 16 – Cooke | 15 – Boston | 4 – Beal | Humphrey Coliseum (5,776) Starkville, MS |
| January 12, 2023 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 1 | at Kentucky | W 95–66 | 17–0 (5–0) | 21 – Boston | 11 – Boston | 7 – Johnson | Memorial Coliseum (4,016) Lexington, KY |
| January 15, 2023 1:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 1 | Missouri | W 81–50 | 18–0 (6–0) | 20 – Boston | 10 – Boston | 6 – Beal | Colonial Life Arena (15,444) Columbia, SC |
| January 19, 2023 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 1 | at Vanderbilt | W 96–48 | 19–0 (7–0) | 17 – Cooke | 15 – Cardoso | 4 – Johnson | Memorial Gymnasium (3,028) Nashville, TN |
| January 22, 2023 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 1 | Arkansas | W 92–46 | 20–0 (8–0) | 24 – Cooke | 16 – Cardoso | 3 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (13,349) Columbia, SC |
| January 29, 2023 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 1 | at Alabama | W 65–52 | 21–0 (9–0) | 18 – Hall | 12 – Boston | 4 – Tied | Coleman Coliseum (4,255) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| February 2, 2023 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 1 | Kentucky | W 87–69 | 22–0 (10–0) | 14 – Tied | 14 – Boston | 4 – Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (12,743) Columbia, SC |
| February 5, 2023* 12:00 p.m., FOX | No. 1 | at No. 5 UConn | W 81–77 | 23–0 | 26 – Boston | 12 – Boston | 7 – Johnson | XL Center (15,564) Hartford, CT |
| February 9, 2023 8:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 1 | at Auburn | W 83–48 | 24–0 (11–0) | 15 – Cooke | 8 – Boston | 4 – Tied | Neville Arena (2,860) Auburn, AL |
| February 12, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 1 | No. 3 LSU | W 88–64 | 25–0 (12–0) | 18 – Cardoso | 13 – Cardoso | 4 – Beal | Colonial Life Arena (18,000) Columbia, SC |
| February 16, 2023 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 1 | Florida | W 87–56 | 26–0 (13–0) | 22 – Cooke | 11 – Cardoso | 3 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (13,943) Columbia, SC |
| February 19, 2023 4:00 p.m., SECN | No. 1 | at Ole Miss | W 64–57 $^{OT}$ | 27–0 (14–0) | 24 – Cooke | 12 – Boston | 5 – Beal | SJB Pavilion (6,563) Oxford, MS |
| February 23, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 1 | at Tennessee | W 73–60 | 28–0 (15–0) | 19 – Cooke | 15 – Cardoso | 5 – Beal | Thompson–Boling Arena (10,297) Knoxville, TN |
| February 26, 2023 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 1 | Georgia | W 73–63 | 29–0 (16–0) | 25 – Boston | 11 – Boston | 4 – Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (18,000) Columbia, SC |
| SEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 3, 2023 12:00 p.m., SECN | (1) No. 1 | vs. (8) Arkansas Quarterfinals | W 93–66 | 30–0 | 19 – Saxton | 10 – Boston | 6 – Johnson | Bon Secours Wellness Arena (7,481) Greenville, SC |
| March 4, 2023 4:30 p.m., ESPNU | (1) No. 1 | vs. (4) Ole Miss Semifinals | W 80–51 | 31–0 | 17 – Amihere | 12 – Cardoso | 7 – Amihere | Bon Secours Wellness Arena (10,471) Greenville, SC |
| March 5, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN | (1) No. 1 | vs. (3) Tennessee SEC Championship/College Gameday | W 74–58 | 32–0 | 24 – Cooke | 8 – Beal | 6 – Beal | Bon Secours Wellness Arena (12,203) Greenville, SC |
| NCAA Tournament |||||||||
| March 17, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN | (1 G1) No. 1 | (16 G1) Norfolk State First Round | W 72–40 | 33–0 | 11 – Tied | 9 – Boston | 7 – Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (10,056) Columbia, SC |
| March 19, 2023 1:00 p.m., ABC | (1 G1) No. 1 | (8 G1) South Florida Second Round | W 76–45 | 34–0 | 21 – Cooke | 11 – Boston | 3 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (10,335) Columbia, SC |
| March 25, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN | (1 G1) No. 1 | vs. (4 G1) No. 14 UCLA Sweet Sixteen | W 59–43 | 35–0 | 10 – Tied | 14 – Boston | 5 – Fletcher | Bon Secours Wellness Arena (12,879) Greenville, SC |
| March 27, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN | (1 G1) No. 1 | vs. (2 G1) No. 7 Maryland Elite Eight | W 86–75 | 36–0 | 22 – Boston | 10 – Boston | 6 – Beal | Bon Secours Wellness Arena (11,144) Greenville, SC |
| March 31, 2023* 9:30 p.m., ESPN | (1 G1) No. 1 | vs. (2 S4) No. 3 Iowa Final Four | L 73–77 | 36–1 | 24 – Cooke | 14 – Cardoso | 3 – Boston | American Airlines Center (19,288) Dallas, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. G1=Greenville 1 S4=Seattle 4. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Statistics
### Team total per game

| Team | PTS | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | ATT |
| Gamecocks | 2606 | 983 | 2090 | 47% | 141 | 448 | 32% | 499 | 716 | 70% | 1587 | 537 | 215 | 288 | 199,619 |
| Opponents | 1635 | 599 | 1907 | 31% | 127 | 498 | 26% | 310 | 442 | 70% | 930 | 257 | 181 | 125 | 113,074 |

### Team average per game

| Team | PPG | FG | FG% | 3P | 3P% | FT | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | ATT |
| Gamecocks | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | –' | – | – |
| Opponents | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |

### Individual total per game

* Player
* Aliyah Boston
* Zia Cooke
* Laeticia Amihere
* Victaria Saxton
* Kamilla Cardoso
* Brea Beal
* Bree Hall
* Sania Feagin
* Olivia Thompson
* Raven Johnson
* Ashlyn Watkins
* Talaysia Cooper
* Kierra Fletcher
* Chloe Kitts

### Individual average per game

| Player | GP | MIN | FG% | 3P% | FT% | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PPG |
| Aliyah Boston | 31 | 25 | 57% | 12% | 77% | 3.4 | 6.8 | 9.7 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 13.3 |
| Zia Cooke | 32 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Laeticia Amihere | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Victoria Saxton | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Kamilla Cardoso | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Brea Beal | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bree Hall | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Sania Feagin | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Olivia Thompson | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Raven Johnson | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Ashlyn Watkins | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Talaysia Cooper | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Kierra Fletcher | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Chloe Kitts | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Rankings

Legend :
| | Increase in ranking |
| | Decrease in ranking |
| | Not ranked previous week |
| RV | Received votes |
| NR | Not ranked |
| ( ) | Number of first place votes |