The Charleston Southern women's basketball team travels to Columbia, S.C. this Sunday to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks, the No. 1 team in the country and the defending National Champions. This will be the eighth all-time meeting between USC and CSU and the first one since 2013-14. The Gamecocks have the 7-0 advantage in the series. 

No. 1 South Carolina (10-0)

• South Carolina is led by Head Coach Dawn Staley, who is in her 15^th season at the helm. During her time in Columbia, the Gamecocks have won two national championships, have gone to four NCAA Final Fours (all within the last seven years) and 11 25-win seasons just to name a few accomplishments.
• The defending National Champions are expected to be right back in the conversation to defend their title. 
• In their first 10 games of the season, the Gamecocks are averaging a scoring margin of +34.5 points per game. They are scoring 80.9 points per game and giving up 46.1 points per game. 
• USC is shooting 46% from the field while allowing opponents to shoot just 27.8%.
• This is expected to be the biggest crowd that the Buccaneers have played in front of this season. South Carolina averages over 12,000 fans per game in attendance. 

Charleston Southern (2-8)

• Coming off of a 65-45 loss to East Tennessee State this past Wednesday, the Bucs are looking for their first win since November 23^rd against Western Carolina. The team has lost four straight.
• The Bucs are looking for their first road win of the season. They are 0-5 away from the Buc Dome.
• In Wednesday's game against ETSU, Kajsa Ahlberg scored a career-high nine points on 3/3 shooting and tied a season high in minutes (18). The freshman from Boo, Sweeden is shooting 35.3% from beyond the arc, which is the second best percentage on the team. 
• Another freshman that is producing at a high level is Catherine Alben. She is leading the team with 9.2 points per game and is third on the team in rebounds per game (4.5). 
• Senior, Sha'Mya Leigh has started all 10 games for CSU this season. She is the second leading scorer at 7.2 points per game. Her 16 assists are the most on the team.
• A win against the Gamecocks on Sunday would be the first time that Charleston Southern has ever beaten the No. 1 team.

Game Details
Who: Charleston Southern vs No. 1 South Carolina
When: Sunday, December 18^th  at 2 p.m.
Where: Colonial Life Arena (Columbia, S.C.)
How to Watch: SEC Network+

Final Note
This is the final non-conference game of the 2022-23 campaign. It has not been easy for the Buccaneers, who have faced multiple teams from the power five; including Duke, Clemson and South Carolina. They have also faced other tough opponents such as East Carolina, George Mason and East Tennessee State. The early part of the season was highlighted by a win over Western Carolina back on November 23rd. The Bucs beat a Catamounts team that had already defeated two Big South foes. 

Charleston Southern will begin the conference slate on December 29^th, when the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs come to the Buc Dome.