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By: Sierra Goodwill

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On to Stockton, CA.

The No. 12 seed Quinnipiac Bobcats face No. 1 seed South Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2017 NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 22 at 4 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN.

While this is Quinnipiac’s first time making it to the regional round, South Carolina has been a women’s basketball powerhouse for quite some time. This is the fourth straight year the Gamecocks have entered the tournament as a No. 1 seed, as well as reached the Sweet Sixteen.

Below is everything you need to know about the reigning Southeastern Conference champions, who finished the season ranked No. 5 in the nation.

Overall: 29-4, 14-2 SEC (1^st)

Head coach: Dawn Staley (8^th season, 188-76 record)

• Six straight NCAA Tournament appearances (2012-2017)
• Four SEC regular season titles
• Three consecutive SEC Tournament championships (2015-2017)
• Three-Time Naismith National Coach of the Year Finalist (2014, 2015, 2016)

Recent NCAA Tournament History

• 2016: No. 1 seed, lost to No. 4 seed Syracuse in Sweet Sixteen
• 2015: No. 1 seed, lost to No. 1 seed Notre Dame in Final Four semifinals
• 2014: No. 1 seed, lost to No. 4 seed North Carolina in Sweet Sixteen
• 2013: No. 4 seed, lost to No. 12 seed Kansas in 2^nd round
• 2012: No. 5 seed, lost to No. 1 seed Stanford in Sweet Sixteen

Key Players

 A’ja Wilson, 6-foot-5 junior forward

• Averages 17.7 points per game – 2^nd in the SEC
• Averages 2.5 blocks per game – 1^st in SEC
• SEC Player of the Year (2015-17,), SEC Defensive Player of the Year (2015-16), All-America First Team (2015-16)

Kaela Davis, 6-foot-2 junior guard

• Averaged 19.7 points, 8 rebounds, 5.3 blocks per game in SEC tournament
• Averages 12.2 points per game
• Leads team in made 3-pointers (54-for-157, 34.4 percent)

Alaina Coates, 6-foot-4 senior center

• Averages 10.7 rebounds per game – 2^nd in SEC
• All-SEC First Team (2015-17)
• Suffered season-ended ankle injury heading into NCAA Tournament

Notable 2016-17 Team Stats

• Average 76.5 points per game – 1^st in SEC
• Average scoring margin is 19.7 points
• Average 39.3 rebounds per game, 15.2 assists per game, 5.7 blocks per game
• First in SEC in field goal percentage (47.3 percent)
• Nine wins over top-25 teams, five over top-10

Road to the Sweet Sixteen

SEC Tournament quarterfinals: W vs. Georgia, 72-48

• Held Georgia to just 16 points in the first half, 19.4 percent from the field.
• Wilson recorded seven blocked shots, an SEC tournament record.

SEC Tournament semifinals: W vs. No. 20 Kentucky, 89-77

• Wilson had a game-high 26 points, eight rebounds.
• The Gamecocks shot 72.2 percent from the field in the 1^st
• Coates only played four minutes due to ankle injury.

SEC Tournament finals: W vs. No. 6 Mississippi State, 59-49

• Only allowed four points, 13.3 percent shooting in the 4^th
• Davis had 23 points, 5 rebounds, three assists

First Round NCAA Tournament: W vs. UNC Asheville, 90-40

• Gamecocks forced 14 turnovers, converted into 23 points
• Allisha Gray netted 22 points, 12 rebounds

Second Round NCAA Tournament: W vs. Arizona State, 71-68

• Wilson (21 points) saved South Carolina from being upset with a put-back layup with 48 seconds left
• Gamecocks went 23-for-28 from the free throw line

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