USC Women’s basketball handles Notre Dame in historic 2023 season debut

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - College basketball enthusiasts were ready for the tip off of the NCAA Division I Women’s basketball season Monday afternoon as fans flocked to watch #6 USC take on #10 Notre Dame.

The Gamecocks beat the Irish 100 to 71 as they played in the first American college basketball game ever played in Paris.

“[It was] an amazing showing,” USC fan Vickie Wise said. “Everybody [was] excited to see them play.”

Monday also marked the first time these teams matched up since 2017. Dozens of fans came to the Alumni Center to show their support and watch history be made.

“Obviously there are going to be some things to tweak but as far as the opener, this was an amazing game,” Wise said. “This is just the tip of the iceberg.”

“Dawn Staley makes a lot of things happen,” USC fan Richard Walker said. “[Hopefully] we’ll have a banner in our stadium maybe at the end of the year [or] early next year.”

USC basketball legend Alex English was excited to see the 6th ranked team going into this season’s tip-off in historic fashion. He feels Monday’s game highlighted the progress that’s been made for the women’s program.

“It’s awesome to see our team play in Paris,” English said. “That says a lot about where we’ve come from.”

USC fans have another big matchup to look forward to as the Gamecocks will face off against #14 Maryland on Sunday, November 12th.

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