Gamecock Women’s Basketball head coach Dawn Staley greets the scorekeepers before the start of the first quarter Thursday as the team took on the Florida Gators. (Photos by Katie Cannon/Carolina News & Reporter)
South Carolina women’s basketball made history earlier this month in a sold-out Colonial Life Arena.
They surpassed Pat Summitt’s Tennessee home-win streak from the ’90s Feb. 2 to set a new SEC record.
The Gamecocks achieved the milestone with an 83-66 win over Auburn in the team’s 70th win at home.
This historical streak solidifies USC’s reputation as one of the most difficult teams to face in college basketball, particularly at home.
Following South Carolina’s home win over LSU, head coach Dawn Staley and her players not only celebrated their win but recognized the significance their fans play in touch matchups.
“This crowd showed up,” Staley said in her postgame interview with ESPN. “This crowd poured into our team, and we fed off the energy in this building. And I think it was great for women’s basketball.”
The crowd usually does: Gamecocks have led the NCAA in average attendance since 2015.
That fan base has turned Colonial Life Arena into one of college basketball’s most fearsome environments.
Former point guard Khadijah Sessions, who played for the Gamecocks from 2013 to 2016 and now serves as an assistant coach, has witnessed the transformation firsthand.
“When I got here in 2013, we probably had maybe 4,000 people at my first game,” Sessions said. “And I ended up with 18,000 on my senior night. So it’s just an incredible feeling to see that so many people bought into women’s basketball.”
The Gamecocks through the years have not only drawn massive crowds but have also created an atmosphere that rattles even the best players in the country.
UConn star Paige Bueckers once called South Carolina “the hardest place to play in women’s basketball.”
The Gamecocks on Thursday added a game to the streak, defeating the Florida Gators, 101-63.
This Sunday will mark ESPN’s women’s basketball college Gameday season debut, with South Carolina in Columbia against UConn.
UConn comes into that matchup having won 11 national championships and holding the NCAA’s longest home win streak, with 99 games. UConn won 99 games twice – and lost the 100th game twice.
The Gamecocks in recent years have had the upper hand, winning four of the past five matchups and three national championships in eight years.
With South Carolina’s formidable home-court advantage and UConn’s storied legacy, Sunday’s game is set to be one of the most exciting of the season.
Expect the fans to show up.
“If you want to give a Sixth-Man Award, give it to the fans, because they really are our sixth man,” guard Raven Johnson said during a press conference following the LSU game.
Key Gamecock contributor Bree Hall, for one, likes counting on the Columbia community.
“I think the fans are super loud, super energetic, all into the game,” Hall said. “You know, the video board says, ‘Be loud.’ They’re going all out to be loud. And I think they just really love us and want us to win.”
The fans are everything, Hall said.
“You can have the most newly renovated arena, but if nobody’s in it, what does that really say?” Hall said. “The energy, the love from our fans, and their desire for us to win, it all matches our own.”
The USC women beat the Florida Gators 101-63 at Colonial Life Arena on Thursday.
USC fans cheer their team to victory.
Junior guard Raven Johnson carries the ball downcourt against Gator defenders.
ABOUT THE JOURNALISTS
Jordan Agliano
Agliano is a junior multimedia student at the University of South Carolina, originally from Orlando, Florida. She is a member of the USC women’s swimming and diving team. With a strong passion for storytelling and sports, she aspires to build a career as a sports journalist after graduating in Spring 2026.
Katie Cannon
Cannon is a junior studying multi-media journalism at the University of South Carolina’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Photography for her has become about more than just taking pictures. It’s turning ordinary moments into something unforgettable.
