South Carolina women’s basketball prepares for emotional, and tearful, Senior Day

Colonial Life Arena will be filled with Gamecock women’s basketball fans on Sunday, and it may be flooded with tears, too.

South Carolina plays its Senior Day game on Sunday against Georgia, and will honor all seven of its seniors in front of a sold-out crowd.

It’s 2019 recruiting class — which features Aliyah Boston, Zia Cooke, Brea Beal, Laeticia Amihere and Olivia Thompson — are the traditional seniors on the roster. Victaria Saxton is in her fifth year with the team, and Kierra Fletcher is a graduate transfer from Georgia Tech in her last year of eligibility.

Coach Dawn Staley said that Thompson, Amihere and Beal won’t cry on Sunday, but that Boston, Cooke and Saxton certainly will.

She also doubted that Fletcher would get emotional, but Fletcher said otherwise.

“I’m soft, so I’ll probably shed a tear or two when everything gets going,” Fletcher said.

Staley’s commended the class of 2019 all season for their readiness to make an impact as freshmen. That group has lost just eight games in four seasons at USC and has led the Gamecocks to two Final Four appearances and a national championship.

“They talked a good game, they really talked about wanting to win national championships,” Staley said. “Sometimes you can talk about it, and then when it’s time to perform, you can get a little selfish about, ‘I came here to win some individual awards.’ ”

But the then-freshmen stuck to their words and have been championship contenders in all four of their seasons here. The team has a chance to lock up the SEC regular-season title outright on Sunday and secure the first undefeated regular season in team history.

“We’ve been through a lot, just coming in with high expectations,” Amihere said. “But I feel like we’ve owned up to that. We’ve stepped into that role. And I think we’re just here to finish the job.”

Their freshman season in 2019-20 was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. Three of the five members in that class, Boston, Cooke and Beal, have been starters in all four seasons at South Carolina.

Boston and Amihere are looking forward to having their families at the game. Boston’s grandfather hasn’t seen her play at Colonial Life Arena before, so Sunday will be his first opportunity to do so.

For Boston, she’s given some thought to the emotions that may come Sunday.

“I’ve already been prepping,” Boston said. “I’m like, ‘You need to hold your tears in.’ But I’ve cried for everyone’s senior night.”

Boston is the most decorated of the seniors, winning National Player of the Year, National Defensive Player of the Year and Final Four Most Outstanding Player — among other awards — with South Carolina.

She enjoys the level of college basketball experience the whole team has with the seven seniors on the roster. Each player in the starting lineup has played at least 128 career games.

“It’s kind of crazy, but I think the seven of us just work really well together,” Boston said. “And this year has just been really special.”

Saxton — the all-time games played leader at USC — and Fletcher will play their final regular-season game against the Bulldogs.

Fletcher joined the team during the offseason after transferring from Georgia Tech. She embraced the camaraderie that existed on the team when she arrived, and she feels she’s gained a tight bond with the Gamecocks in her one season in Columbia.

“I’ve just been trying to make relationships,” Fletcher said. “I have 13 sisters now, for sure. I love every single one of them.”

As the projected No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, South Carolina would host the first two games of the opening round. So Sunday might not be the true home finale for the veteran Gamecocks.

With an SEC championship and undefeated season on the line, Staley said she’ll hold her emotions for later.

And her players will look to do the same.

“Once that buzzer sounds to start, we’re gonna have to regardless,” Boston said. “It’s just kind of crazy that four years have gone so fast.”

SOUTH CAROLINA VS. GEORGIA GAME INFO

Who: Georgia Bulldogs (20-9, 9-6 SEC) South Carolina Gamecocks (28-0, 15-0 SEC)

Where: Colonial Life Arena (18,000) in Columbia, S.C.

When: Noon Sunday

TV: ESPN2

Stream: via ESPN app/ESPN.com