No. 18 Gamecocks host Dayton Wednesday night

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 18/19 South Carolina women’s basketball (3-3) hosts the first of three home games Wednesday night against Dayton. Tipoff at Colonial Life Arena is set for 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6 p.m. The offense was dialed in over the Thanksgiving holiday, and seven Gamecocks average at least 6.0 points per game this season.

SOUTH CAROLINA NOTABLES
• Tonight marks the first meeting between the Gamecocks and Flyers, but South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley has an 8-3 mark against Dayton from her time as Temple’s head coach.• South Carolina’s offense found its footing in Vancouver, shooting 43.9 percent from the field to average 84.7 points. The Gamecocks turned it over just 11.3 times per game for a +6.0 turnover margin at the event.

• Senior forward Alexis Jennings returned to her dominant play in Vancouver last weekend, especially against #9/8 Oregon State (Nov. 23). She posted the season’s first double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds in 31 physical minutes against the Beavers’ lengthy frontline.

• South Carolina’s leading scorer Te’a Cooper ranks seventh in the SEC with 16.8 points per game, including 19.3 points per game in last weekend’s Vancouver Showcase. Cooper has been the most competitive when the game gets the tightest. In the last five minutes of the Gamecocks’ closest games – Clemson, #9/8 Oregon State, Drake – Cooper averages a team-best 5.7 points, including going 5-of-7 from the free throw line in that stretch.

• Junior guard Tyasha Harris has again lifted her scoring average this season – 9.3 points per game. The Gamecocks are 25-3 all-time when she scores in double figures.