A sellout crowd of 18,000 watched the No. 1 South Carolina women's basketball team defeat No. 12 Tennessee, providing the team with extra momentum in its SEC regular season championship-clinching victory.
Starting with ESPN’s College GameDay hours before tip-off, Gamecock fans filled Colonial Life Arena with energy until after the final buzzer.
Head coach Dawn Staley said that the crowd had an effect on the team at the beginning of the game and helped the team battle for the win.
“We wanted the electricity in the building. We knew that we were center stage, as far as women’s basketball, today at 1 o'clock, playing on a channel that we don’t usually play on,” Staley said. “I just thought they, as they have for the past eight years, made this place a really hard place to win.”
Anticipation for the nationally televised game was high throughout the week after it was revealed on Feb. 10 that ESPN’s College GameDay would be broadcasting live from Columbia. It was the first time the show has travelled to a women’s basketball game in 11 years.
The day before the game Staley said that the atmosphere would be exciting for everyone involved, including players and fans.
“I know our fans are excited. I know our players are excited,” said Staley. “I know Tennessee’s going to be excited about being in this atmosphere, and I think it’s a day that we celebrate — a really good day of women’s basketball.”
Staley, as well as Gamecock football alum and current San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel, made guest appearances on the hour-long program.
Head football coach Shane Beamer and Gamecock football alum and Carolina Panthers cornerback Stephon Gilmore were also in attendance at the game. They were greeted by loud cheers from the fans after they were featured on the jumbotron.
Those cheers, which turned an early deficit into a 17-point lead by the end of the third quarter, were seen as a source of strength for freshman guard Saniya Rivers, despite having to overcome some jitters.
“For me, it was really nerve-racking, honestly,” Rivers said. “I’ve never played in front of a crowd that big, but just having the support of my teammates and seeing that they were okay made me feel a little at ease, so it was easy to adjust to and I’m glad that I had them to help me out.”
For Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper, the fans were seen as a significant roadblock that prevented her from communicating with her team.
"It was loud," Harper said. "There were times that our team couldn't hear me and I'm three feet from them, so we had to play through that."
Staley said that seeing so many fans fill up the arena is a special feeling.
“What we’ve been able to do here — what the fans have been able to create here — is truly something special,” Staley said. “I just hope that as we continue to write the history books, that the fans are a real big part of it.”