South-Carolina
South Carolina, Dawn Staley vs Auburn: Prediction, injury updates for A’ja Wilson day
COLUMBIA — South Carolina women’s basketball got a night off from its usual routine of playing on Thursdays.
The No. 2 Gamecocks (20-1, 8-0 SEC) beat No. 18 Tennessee on Monday in Knoxville and now turn to host Auburn on Sunday (noon, SEC Network) in Colonial Life Arena.
The Tigers (11-10, 2-6) also had Thursday night off, with their last game a 74-51 win over Florida on Jan. 26.
These two SEC teams have played 51 times, and South Carolina leads the all-time series 30-21.
Here’s what to know about Auburn ahead of Sunday’s game:
South Carolina will retire A’ja Wilson’s jersey
Former star A’ja Wilson will be honored in a jersey retirement jersey before tipoff on Sunday. Wilson played for coach Dawn Staley at South Carolina from 2014-18.
She is the school’s all-time leader in career points with 2,389 and is No. 1 in free throws made in a career (597) and No. 1 in blocked shots in a career (363). Wilson was also the program’s first four-time All-American and National Player of the Year in 2018. She was named Naismith College Player of the Year (2017-18) and won the John R. Wooden Award the same year.
Staley and Wilson won the program’s first national title in 2017.
South Carolina defense will focus on Auburn’s DeYona Gaston
Forward DeYona Gaston leads the Tigers in scoring and is third in the SEC at 21.5 points per game.
Taliah Scott was averaging 20.3 but she hasn’t played since Nov. 22 with a wrist injury. The next leading scorer, Yuting Deng, is only averaging 9.7.
It’s apparent the offense flows mainly through Gaston, who will be the main area of focus for South Carolina’s defense. Gaston is averaging 7.4 rebounds per game as well.
Audia Young has taken the most 3-point attempts and has hit 24-of-69 shots from behind the arc (34.8%).
Auburn’s Mar’shaun Bostic is among SEC assist leaders
Senior guard Mar’shaun Bostic is one of the best passers in the conference this season, as she ranks No. 4 in the SEC with 5.2 assists per game.
To compare, the assist leader for South Carolina is Raven Johnson, averaging 2.6 per game.
South Carolina win vs Auburn would set an SEC record
With a win, South Carolina would pick up its 56th consecutive regular-season SEC win, adding to its conference record, and win No. 70 in a row at home, which would set a conference record. Tennessee won 69 consecutive home games from 1990-96.
The Gamecocks are also 10-0 at home this season and the only SEC team yet to lose a conference game. South Carolina comes into Sunday riding a 15-game win streak against Auburn, as it hasn’t lost to the Tigers since Jan. 19, 2012.
Who has beaten South Carolina women’s basketball?
The Gamecocks fell to UCLA, 77-62, on Nov. 24 in Los Angeles for their only loss of the season. The Bruins are the only undefeated basketball team in the country and have been No. 1 in the polls since beating South Carolina.
South Carolina vs Auburn injury updates
The SEC injury report will be released on Saturday night. South Carolina will be without Ashlyn Watkins, as she is out for the season after tearing her ACL. Auburn has been without Scott (wrist) since Nov. 22.
South Carolina score prediction vs Auburn
South Carolina 86, Auburn 61: South Carolina’s depth is just too much for Auburn to handle with its unbalanced scoring attack. Tessa Johnson and Sania Feagin combine for 20 plus points.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin