The South Carolina women’s basketball team reached another milestone in its storied history on Wednesday night.
USC defeated in-state rival Clemson 77-45 on the road to extend its winning streak to 43 games, which is a new school record. Coach Dawn Staley’s No. 1 ranked Gamecocks are off to a 5-0 start this season after winning the NCAA Tournament last year with a perfect 38-0 record.
The previous school record of 42 consecutive victories was achieved during the 2022 NCAA Tournament and the entire 2023 season, which ended in a loss to Iowa in the NCAA Tournament national semifinals.
South Carolina’s current 43-game streak is now the seventh best in NCAA history and the second longest in the history of the SEC behind Tennessee’s 46 game streak.
Junior forward Chloe Kitts is leading the Gamecocks in scoring and rebounding with 14.0 points and 9.8 rebounds a game. Senior guard Te-Hina Paopao is averaging 13.4 points while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range. Sophomore guard Milaysia Fulwiley is averaging 12.8 points a game.
South Carolina’s new record streak will be put to the test as it will face four ranked opponents in the next five games. The first test will come on Sunday when the Gamecocks pay a visit to No. 5 UCLA on Sunday afternoon. The Bruins are also coming off a Final Four season in 2024.
The Gamecocks will then head to Florida to play No. 8 Iowa State on November 28 and Purdue on November 30. Next is a home game vs. No. 14 Duke on December 5 and then a road trip to Dallas to take on No. 19 TCU on December 8.