Cal Poly women’s basketball team ready to host defending national champion, No. 1 ranked South Carolina tonight

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- The Cal Poly women's basketball team is all set to host defending national champion and current No. 1 ranked South Carolina tonight in Mott Athletics Center.

It marks the first time a Cal Poly basketball team, men or women, have hosted either a reigning national champion or a No. 1 ranked team at home.

In tonight's game, the Mustangs (2-2) are doing both, facing the undefeated Gamecocks (4-0), who are coming off a thrilling come-from-behind 76-71 overtime victory at No. 2 Stanford two days ago.

Cal Poly actually played at Stanford within the past week as well, falling to the Cardinal 80-43 last Wednesday night.

South Carolina is coached by Basketball Hall of Famer Dawn Staley, who won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA as a player, and was also the head coach of the 2020 gold-medal winning team. 

The Gamecocks are led on the court by two-time reigning National Player of the Year Aliyah Boston, who is averaging 13.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.

Boston scored a basket at Stanford with two seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime. The Gamecocks overcame a 10-point deficit with 10 minutes remaining to force the extra period, where they pulled away to secure the victory.

South Carolina started the 2022-23 season ranked No. 1 in both the AP and the USA Today/WBCA Coaches’ Polls.

According the South Carolina athletics website, the Gamecocks’ 47 total weeks at No. 1 in the AP Poll are the fourth most of any program in that poll’s history.

Tuesday's game will tip-off at 5 p.m. It is the first meeting ever between the two programs.