Gamecocks’ Women’s Basketball Make Impact with Spots on Dawn Staley Award Watch List

Good evening, sports fans! I’m here to bring you breaking news from South Carolina women’s basketball.

Today, three Gamecocks guards—senior Te-Hina Paopao, redshirt junior Raven Johnson, and sophomore MiLaysia Fulwiley—were named to the prestigious Later Season Watch List for the Dawn Staley Award. This watch list highlights 17 players who excel in the key areas that Dawn Staley herself mastered during her legendary career—ball handling, scoring, passing, defense, and overall competitiveness. For Paopao, this marks a repeat appearance, as she was also a top-5 finalist for the award last year.

The Dawn Staley Award honors the guard who best embodies the attributes of South Carolina’s iconic head coach. Players are evaluated based on their leadership, toughness, and ability to make plays in various aspects of the game.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the Gamecock trio:

• Te-Hina Paopao is averaging 10.4 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.4 rebounds this season. Against ranked opponents, she’s been exceptional, averaging 11.4 points per game. She’s shooting a stellar 48.1% from the field and 41.1% from three-point range in those matchups.
• Raven Johnson leads with a standout 3.00 assist-to-turnover ratio, which ranks her second in the SEC and eighth in the nation. She’s also contributing 5.3 points, 3.0 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game, including impressive performances with multiple steals in several games.
• MiLaysia Fulwiley, South Carolina’s second-leading scorer at 11.5 points per game, has been a consistent force. In SEC play, she’s contributing 13.1 points per game and excels in multiple areas: ranking 8th in steals (2.00 per game), 10th in free throw percentage (.830), and 11th in blocks (1.00 per game).

South Carolina’s backcourt is undeniably one of the best in the nation, helping the Gamecocks secure a No. 6 ranking in the AP poll and a No. 2 spot in the NET rankings.

To give you some perspective, Tiffany Mitchell (2015) and Tyasha Harris (2020) are former Gamecock winners of the Dawn Staley Award, both multi-time nominees themselves.

Looking ahead, the finalists for this prestigious award will be announced in mid-March, with the winner revealed during the NCAA Final Four weekend in April 2025.

Now, as for the Gamecocks’ next game: they’ll be back at Colonial Life Arena this Thursday at 7 p.m., closing out a three-game homestand against Arkansas. Make sure to follow @GamecockWBB and GamecocksOnline.com for all the latest updates.

That’s all for now—stay tuned for more updates on this incredible season for South Carolina women’s basketball!