Dawn Staley celebrates her 50th birthday today, and to help commemorate the occasion, we count down the 50 biggest games (49 wins and one loss) of her Gamecock career.

50. December 13, 2015 - #2 South Carolina 86, Winthrop 37 - Alaina Coates recorded a triple-double with 29 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 blocks.

49. November 5, 2019 - #8 South Carolina 103, Alabama State 43 - This is padding the list a little, just like Aliyah Boston padded her stats a little with her tenth block in the fourth quarter. But Staley left her in the game to become the first player in NCAA history to record a triple-double in her first career game.

48. February 22, 2009 - South Carolina 76, Ole Miss 67 - Brionna Dickerson scored a career-high 31 points to give Staley her first SEC win

47. January 31, 2019 - #16 South Carolina 74, #19 Kentucky 70 - Alexis Jennings had 18 points and 12 rebounds against her former team, leading the Gamecocks to their best win of a disappointing season.

46. November 24, 2008 - South Carolina 68, Davidson 47 - Miranda Tate scored 13 points in Staley’s first win at South Carolina.

45. November 28, 2009 - South Carolina 58, #23 San Diego State 55 - Staley got her first win over a ranked team at South Carolina.

44. January 28, 2018 - #9 South Carolina 64, #11 Missouri 54 - The simmering rivalry between the two teams boiled over, and Sophie Cunningham’s elbows led to a brawl that saw two players ejected and led to Staley suing Missouri AD Jim Sterk for defamation.

43. November 21, 2019 - #5 South Carolina 112, USC Upstate 32 - This was the most points South Carolina has scored under Staley and the largest margin of victory.

42. November 13, 2017 - #4 South Carolina 94, #15 Maryland 86 - A’ja Wilson took her game to another level as a senior, beginning with a 32 point, 12 rebound game at Maryland.

41. November 27, 2016 - #3 South Carolina 83, #4 Louisville 59 - South Carolina routed a very good Louisville team, raising the bar for the season.

40. November 20, 2014 - #2 South Carolina 99, Clemson 41 - One of the most lopsided games I’ve ever seen between two power conference teams, the Gamecocks set out to embarrass the Tigers and did so with ease.

39. November 18, 2010 - South Carolina 73, Clemson 59 - Staley dropped her first two games against Clemson but broke through in 2010 and hasn’t lost since.

38. February 23, 2014 - #4 South Carolina 69, Florida 55 - More than 10,000 fans saw South Carolina clinch a share of its first SEC regular season championship.

38. January 17, 2013 - #19 South Carolina 66, LSU 59 - A scheduling conflict meant the Gamecocks played the game at Carolina Coliseum. Since then, the former home of the Gamecocks has been renovated into a practice facility, and barring further renovations, this will be the final game ever played in Frank McGuire Arena.

37. March 24, 2019 - #15 South Carolina 72, #25 Florida State 64 - Mikiah Herbert Harrigan scored 20 points to lead South Carolina to its sixth consecutive Sweet Sixteen.

36. December 21, 2017 - #4 South Carolina 87, Temple 60 - Staley finally returned to Philadelphia. Ostensibly there for former player Candice Dupree’s jersey retirement ceremony, the trip was all about Staley, who had a street named after her and then became South Carolina’s all-time winningest coach.

35. November 24, 2008 - South Carolina 68, Davidson 47 - Miranda Tate scored 13 points in Staley’s first win at South Carolina.

34.January 9, 2014 - #10 South Carolina 68, #9 Kentucky 59 - It’s easy to forget how fierce this rivalry was at the time: combine the bitterness of the Missouri feud with the intensity of the Mississippi State series, and this was the biggest matchup to that date. This was the first matchup of top ten teams under Staley, and was a turning point for the Gamecocks, who went from hunters to hunted in large part by beating Kentucky.

33. January 2, 2015 - #1 South Carolina 77, Auburn 58 - Announced attendance was 16,465, at the time the second most ever for a women’s basketball game in South Carolina.It began a streak of 82 games and counting with announced attendance of at least 10,000.

32. February 8, 2016 - #1 Connecticut 66, #2 South Carolina 54 - The first women’s basketball sellout at Colonial Life Arena saw the Huskies hand the Gamecocks their only loss until the NCAA Tournament, and end a home winning streak that dated back three years and 45 games.

31. January 30, 2020 - #1 South Carolina 87, Ole Miss 32 - South Carolina held the Rebels scoreless in the first quarter and to just two points in the first half, tying the NCAA records for fewest points allowed in a quarter and half.

30. January 24, 2013 - #18 South Carolina 55, #5 Kentucky 50 - South Carolina got its first win over a top 5 opponent, and jump-started the rivalry with Kentucky that defined the first half of the decade.

29. February 2, 2014 - #7 South Carolina 78, Missouri 62 - There was buzz leading up to the game because A’ja Wilson would be taking her official visit, but the atmosphere surpassed anyone’s wildest dreams. A then-record crowd of 7,828 donned neon shirts that said “There’s no place like home.” Attendance had been on the rise, but this was the game that catapulted Gamecock women’s basketball into the zeitgeist.

28. January 17, 2016 - #2 South Carolina 59, #15 Texas A&M 58 - It is one of the most shocking, heartbreaking endings I’ve ever seen. Khadijah Sessions made a free throw with 3.4 second left to put South Carolina up by two. Texas A&M’s Chelsea Jennings snuck behind the defense and caught a baseball pass for the game-tying layup with 0.9 seconds left. But Shlonte Allen, who had just checked in for the previous play, was confused about the score and intentionally fouled Khadijah Sessions. Instead of overtime, Sessions went to the line for a game-winning free throw.

27. March 1, 2020 - #1 South Carolina 60, #12 Texas A&M 52 - The Gamecocks capped the regular season with a sellout and win over the preseason pick to win the SEC. Instead it was the Gamecocks going 16-0 and running away from the competition.

26. November 14, 2016 - #4 South Carolina 92, #7 Ohio State 80 - Kaela Davis had 37 points and 10 rebounds in the first game of the national championship season, notching the highest-ranked road non-conference win of Staley’s tenure until the 2019 season.

25. March 17, 2012 - #25 South Carolina 80, Eastern Michigan 48 - Staley’s first tournament win at South Carolina.

24. March 20, 2015 - #3 South Carolina 81, Savannah State 48 - South Carolina finally got to host an NCAA Tournament game at home, for the first time since 2002. South Carolina’s inability to host was frustrating for Staley, and reportedly one of the reasons she listened when Ohio State tried to hire her in 2013.

23. January 2, 2020 - #4 South Carolina 99, #13 Kentucky 72 - This was a game where the box score (and 27-point win) didn’t do justice to just how well the Gamecocks played. They were on another level, running circles around the Wildcats and leading Staley to promise not to drink the Kool-Aid.

22. February 2, 2012 - South Carolina 64, #8 Tennessee 60 - The Gamecocks got their first win over the Lady Vols in 32 seasons.

21. November 10, 2019 - #8 South Carolina 63, #4 Maryland 54 - This was the highest-ranked non-conference road win for Staley at South Carolina, it was the first in a series of revenge games throughout the season, and although few took notice at the time, it was the Gamecocks’ statement game that this new-look team with four freshmen would be a force to be reckoned with.

20. February 27, 2014 - #4 South Carolina 67, Georgia 56 - Days after clinching a share of the title, an unheard-of 12,000 saw the Gamecocks receive their championship trophy (“It’s heavy,” Staley said), and then win the conference outright. It was the highpoint of the season and something unimaginable five years earlier.

19. March 18, 2018 - #7 South Carolina 66, Virginia 56 - In her final game in Columbia, A’ja Wilson danced off with 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and helped Staley beat her alma mater in a game she claimed was just like any other.

18. March 5, 2016 - #3 South Carolina 93, # 13 Kentucky 63 - A revenge game (Kentucky knocked South Carolina out of the SEC tournament two years earlier and handed the Gamecocks their only SEC loss the year before), this was also the Tiffany Mitchell Shimmy game.

17. November 30, 2019 - #5 South Carolina 74, #2 Baylor 59 - Another revenge game, South Carolina got 20 points each from freshman Aliyah Boston and senior Tyasha Harris, ended the Lady Bears’ 36-game winning streak that included two wins over the Gamecocks, and at the end of the game when the Gamecocks needed an extra basket to clinch the Paradise Jam title on point deferential, they got it. The #2 Lady Bears are tied for the highest-ranked team the Gamecocks have ever beaten.

16. March 19, 2017 - #3 South Carolina 71, Arizona State 68 - The closest game of the NCAA Tournament for South Carolina, the gamecocks led by 10 with six minutes to play, but relaxed. Arizona State stormed back with an 11-0 run to take a 68-67 lead before A’ja Wilson scored the final four points of the game to win a nail-biter.

15. March 6, 2016 - #3 South Carolina 66, #16 Mississippi State 52 - The first of what now seems to be an annual event, South Carolina beat Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament Final to complete a perfect 19-0 conference season.

14. December 7, 2014 - #1 South Carolina 51, #9 Duke 50 - Olivia Gaines’ steal that led to A’ja Wilson’s game-winning tip-in proved they were worthy of the hype and presaged a special season.

13. February 10, 2020 - #1 South Carolina 70, #5 Connecticut 52 - In front of another sellout, South Carolina didn’t just get its first win over UConn, it dominated, holding the Huskies to two points in the first quarter and running them off the court.

12. March 4, 2018 - #8 South Carolina 62, #2 Mississippi State 51 - The Bulldogs went undefeated and won the regular season title, but the Gamecocks took the tournament, denying the Bulldogs a sweep, winning an unprecedented fourth straight SEC Tournament and ensuring that A’ja Wilson finished her career without ever losing an SEC tournament game. The #2 Bulldogs are tied for the highest-ranked team the Gamecocks have ever beaten.

11. March 8, 2015 - #3 South Carolina 62, #5 Tennessee 46 - South Carolina shared the regular season title with Tennessee, but dominated the SEC Tournament Final for its first tournament championship.

10. March 19, 2012 - #25 South Carolina 72, #13 Purdue 61 - South Carolina upset Purdue at home to advance to Staley’s first Sweet Sixteen

9. March 27, 2015 - #3 South Carolina, #15 North Carolina - A wild final 61 seconds saw a key basket by Olivia Gaines, two free throws by Alaina Coates, and the game-winning layup by Tiffany Mitchell with 3.5 seconds left, sending the Gamecocks to their first Elite Eight under Staley, and second ever.

8. February 23, 2017 - #7 South Carolina 80, Texas A&M 64 - The game that turned the season around. Staley replaced injured center Alaina Coates with point guard Bianca Cuevas-Moore, a move that clicked immediately and sparked the run to the championship.

7. March 27, 2017 - #3 South Carolina 71, #10 Florida State 64 - Freshman Tyasha Harris grabbed a pair of key rebounds and Kaela Davis scored 23 points as South Carolina advanced to its second Final Four.

6. January 20, 2020 - #1 South Carolina 81, #9 Mississippi State 79 - The rivals met again for one of the best college basketball games you’ll ever see. The Bulldogs led by nine early in the fourth, but the Gamecocks came back. Senior Tyasha Harris scored the final five points of the game and freshman Zia Cooke made her already-iconic interception of an inbounds pass to seal the win.

5. March 29, 2015 - #3 South Carolina 80, #7 Florida State 64 - South Carolina trailed early, but Tiffany Mitchell put the Gamecocks ahead with seven straight points, Asia Dozier hit four clutch free throws, and Khadijah Sessions sealed South Carolina’s first Final Four trip with a steal and layup.

4. March 8, 2020 - #1 South Carolina 76, #9 Mississippi State 62 - The rematch from earlier in the season was less a contest than a coronation. The Gamecocks looked unstoppable as the finished with the second 19-0 SEC record in program history and cemented their status as the consensus #1 team.

3. March 5, 2017 - #5 South Carolina 59, # 6 Mississippi State 49 - Ten in a row over the Bulldogs, and the blueprint for the national championship game.

2. March 31, 2017 - #3 South Carolina 62, #6 Stanford 53 - Freshman Tyasha Harris calmly made three free throws, Allisha Gray had 18 points, and A’ja Wilson dominated defensively with 19 rebounds and three crucial blocked shots to send the gamecocks to their first championship game. It was extra sweet for Staley, who finally beat one of her mentors, Tara VanDerveer.

1. April 2, 2017 - #3 South Carolina 67, #7 Mississippi State 55 - It was over as soon as Morgan William hit the jumper to beat Connecticut in the semifinals. South Carolina won the national championship with its eleventh straight win over Mississippi State, following the game plan that worked so well in recent meetings. Allisha Gray did the dirty work and finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds, her second double-double, while the Bulldogs had no answer for A’ja Wilson, who finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds and was named Most Outstanding Player.