Dawn Staley and her South Carolina Lady Gamecocks made a trip up to Maryland to play Coppin State. Although the game was uncompetitive, South Carolina cruised to an easy victory. But the game meant more than just a box score.
“I remember when I was at Temple, we couldn’t get very many high-level Division I teams to play us, let alone play us on our home court,” Staley said in postgame availability. “So I always think about those times and give people an opportunity to play a game like this.”
Staley has been vocal about her support for HBCUs, and welcomed Coppin State being added to the South Carolina schedule as she took to her X account to find another game. She then turned to her X account in late 2024 to confirm that she was able to confirm an HBCU opponent that she didn’t name at the time after “moving things around.” It was revealed that Coppin State, which agreed to a home-and-home with the Lady Gamecocks, delivered on Sunday.
She said on her X account in 2024, “When going to the peeps here on this app allows you to converse with great people and get options to complete schedules WINNING … we gotta game y’all. Paperwork is not complete, but we are good for it! I love my HBCUs. Thank you all for reaching out! Love up,” she tweeted on X.
Coppin State coach Daryl Mosely commented on scheduling South Carolina in postgame availability, saying, “Talking to Coach Staley, it’s tough for them to find games…You’re top in the nation in wins and winning national championships; nobody really wants to play you.”
Coppin State wasn’t the only HBCU that the Lady Gamecocks faced. South Carolina hosted North Carolina Central, winning 106-42 on December 7th.
The post Dawn Staley, South Carolina recap successful HBCU hoops battle appeared first on ClutchPoints.
