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The defending national champions of women’s college hoops are back in action on Thursday, Dec. 19 when the No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks host the Charleston Southern Buccaneers at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C.

The game is scheduled to start at noon EST and will be available to stream on ESPN+ as part of the SEC Network+. ESPN+ plans are currently at $11.99 a month or $16.99 a month if you bundle with Hulu and Disney+.

At 10-1, South Carolina is riding a five-game winning streak following the loss to No. 1 UCLA and has knocked off three ranked teams in those five wins. Charleston Southern is 4-8 on the season and 2-5 away from home.

Who: Charleston Southern Buccaneers vs. No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks

When: Thursday, Dec. 19 at noon EST

Where: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C.

Stream: ESPN+. ESPN+ plans are $11.99 a month or $16.99 a month if you bundle with Hulu and Disney+.

Betting: Check out our MA sports betting guide, where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.

What is ESPN+?

ESPN+ is a one-stop shop for content from almost every single sport. In addition to on-demand replays of games across all sports shown on the ESPN and Disney family of networks, there is also exclusive access to select college football games, NHL games, soccer matches, UFC programs and the entire 30 for 30 catalogue. Additionally, there is ESPN+ exclusive original programing like NFL Primetime, Dana White’s Contender Series and The Breakdown with Peyton and Belichick.

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South Carolina, UCLA, Duke and Texas women to play in round-robin tournament in Las Vegas in 2025

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer

South Carolina, UCLA, Duke and Texas will play in a round-robin tournament in Las Vegas next year during Thanksgiving week.

The Players Era Women’s Championship will allow the opportunity for athletes on each team to engage in at least $1 million of NIL activities with the title group and sponsors.

“Players Era is creating the first-ever tentpole women’s college basketball MTE with an unbelievably loaded field and fascinating storylines, early season matchups that are sure to set the tone for the rest of the season,” said Players ERA CEO Seth Berger. “Our women’s championship includes the same level of guaranteed NIL opportunities for the players as the men’s championship.”

The event will coincide with the the men’s Players Era Festival that debuted at MGM Grand Garden Arena last month. Oregon won the men’s championship by topping Alabama 83-81.

Each of the women’s teams will play the other three teams. South Carolina faced Duke and UCLA already this season and will play Texas in conference as the Longhorns moved to the SEC this year.

“We’re excited to be among the first women’s teams invited to play in the Players Era Women’s Championship,” said South Carolina coach Dawn Staley. “This innovative event brings together everything we’re looking for – quality games early in the season, a great location for fans to come and enjoy, and NIL opportunities for our players.”

The four teams are currently in the top 10 of the poll, with UCLA and South Carolina 1-2. Texas is sixth and Duke is ninth. The Bruins topped the Gamecocks in November to end the defending champions' 43-game winning streak.

“As a program striving to consistently compete at a championship level, it’s essential to measure ourselves against the best,” said UCLA coach Cori Close. “We’re excited for a rematch with South Carolina and the opportunity to compete against other exceptional programs at the Player’s Era Women’s Championship. This will be the premier out of conference tournament with a national audience to boot. It is a great honor to be included in this elite event.”

The Associated Press contributed to this article

RIDGEFIELD — Growing up in Ridgefield, Edward Tuccio said he realized his family was different from that of his friends.

“My dad was a small home builder in Ridgefield with a sixth grade education. He couldn’t read or write. My mother was from Finland and attended Finnish schools,” said Tuccio, now 55 and the first generation in his family to go to college.

Tuccio just made a philanthropic gift of seven figures to his alma mater, the College of Charleston in South Carolina, which will go toward renovating an unused building to create the Edward J. Tuccio ’91 Student Success Center.

The center will help prepare students for success after they leave college, said Jenny Fowler, executive director of development at Charleston College.

The renovation, which broke ground last month, will involve renovating a building at 58 George St. — right in the heart of the campus, Fowler said.

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The center, which will be about 6,000-square-feet, is expected to open in the fall of 2026, at the 254-year-old college, which has about 12,000 students, she said.

“Every student on campus is going to be able to use this building to help with anything from working on their resumes to mock interviewing, meeting with prospective employers to talk about internships, jobs, graduate school, and personal and professional development,” Fowler said.

She added the center will be where the college’s financial wellness initiative is — a program that helps students learn about budgeting and ways to be financially prepared upon graduation.

The building will also contain separate rooms for tutoring and a place to hold job fairs.

“I just wanted to give back,” said Tuccio, who along with his wife, Kimberly Tuccio, 54, have two children — Brandon Tuccio, 22, and Isabella Tuccio, 19.

“This is something that will go on for generations and generations. I’m hoping it will set a trend for colleges to understand what’s really important," he said. "Because it's very difficult for these young students to pay for college, let alone, when you get out of college, most of them become bartenders because they can't get a job."

“This was my way of giving back to the college for all that the college did for me," he added.

'Major historic renovation project'

As a student at Ridgefield High School, Tuccio said he knew he wanted to go to college but didn’t know the process of how to apply.

He said all his friends had parents who were educated. “In our family, we ate dinner together and breakfast together and didn’t even think about college until the last minute,” said Tuccio.

He navigated the college application process independently.

He started his college career at Providence College in Rhode Island and attended for a semester before realizing it “wasn’t the right fit” for him, he said. He then transferred to the College of Charleston the following year, majoring in business administration.

After graduation, he worked for Lehman Brothers, a financial services firm in Georgia for several years. Then, he and his late brother, Arthur Tuccio Jr., started a residential development company in Ridgefield, which he said was successful. He’s now retired.

Fowler said the project is very exciting for the college on several different fronts.

“The building itself was built around 1803,” she said. “It’s a beautiful historic home that the college acquired around the early '70s but it’s been sitting unused… an eyesore in the middle of our beautiful historic campus for about nine years because it was structurally unsound.”

Currently, the college’s career center is on the second floor of a building on the north part of campus “where it’s very hard for students to find," she said.

She added the new building is “a major historic preservation project."

“Not only is this building going to be renovated with historic preservation in mind but also outfitted for today’s and future students,” she said. “It also is highly visible, which means we know usage of these services is going to go up.

“We’re excited that it’s contributing to that component of what makes our campus so special and certainly what makes the city of Charleston so special,” she added.

It appeared that South Carolina women's basketball checked out a little bit early for its 10-day break but ultimately regrouped to beat Charleston Southern 82-46 in Colonial Life Arena on Thursday.

The No. 2 Gamecocks (11-1) shot 14.3% in the first quarter and let the Buccaneers (4-9) close the opening quarter on a 11-0 run. The game was close until the final minutes of the third quarter when South Carolina went on an 18-4 run. The fourth quarter was all coach Dawn Staley's team, shooting 68.8% from the field.

Freshman Joyce Edwards had a career-high 20 points, finishing 6-of-9 from the field and 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Freshman Maddy McDaniel had a team-high five assists.

The Gamecocks return Dec. 29 to host Wofford (2 p.m., SEC Network).

Watch South Carolina women's basketball vs Charleston Southern on Fubo

South Carolina vs Charleston Southern score updates

What time is South Carolina vs Charleston Southern today?

What channel is South Carolina vs Charleston Southern game on today?

South Carolina vs Charleston Southern live stream options

South Carolina women's basketball vs. Charleston Southern will be available to watch on SEC Network+ with Dave Weinstein and Amanda Poole on the call.

Streaming options for the game include FUBO.

South Carolina vs Charleston Southern predictions

South Carolina 87, Charleston Southern 40: Chloe Kitts scores over 15 points and Tessa Johnson hits two 3-pointers before the long break.

South Carolina vs Charleston Southern injury updates

Sakima Walker is still day to day for South Carolina. She has missed the last two games.

South Carolina basketball schedule 2024-25 next five games

Current record: 10-1

Charleston Southern women's basketball schedule 2024-25 next five games

Current record: 4-8

South Carolina basketball news

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CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - Charleston County is still accepting applications for the Urban Entitlement funds.

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development allocates this annual funding to go towards any governmental, community, neighborhood, faith-based or nonprofit organization.

Within December, the Charleston County Community Development and Revitalization staff attend town council meetings in their jurisdiction to explain background information and what that application process looks like.

“So if you think this is going to be a quick turnaround, the funding for this year will actually be available in September,” LoElla Smalls, the county’s Director of Community of Development and Revitalization, says.

Applications are available online, for anyone who may think their organization lines up with the objectives of the Union Entitlement fund.

The goals of the funds were decided by the community in 2021 as part of the Five-Year Consolidated Plan.

“We go out into the community to find out what the community sees as the highest needs for low-to-moderate individuals. So we ask them, do you need more after-school programs? Do you want to see more repair for—emergency repairs on homes? Do you want to see more legal assistance?” Smalls says.

Some of their 2021 to 2025 objectives are Affordable Housing and Suitable Living Options, Building Self-Sufficiency & Sustainability, Infrastructure + Community Improvements and Homeless Needs.

To spread the word, Smalls shared this kind of overview with Hollywood community members at their town council meeting.

When doing so, many appeared to be eager for this opportunity, including Councilman Handy Miles Jr.

“That’s why I feel that, when that money got presented, that’s why I got so excited because we need that here in the Town of Hollywood,” Miles says.

Miles says he believes they need to help the senior citizens and those who came before them as they can often get forgotten about.

He says if they get a fraction of the estimated amount of funds, it’s a starting point.

“That’s a true statement, yes, it’s going to be divided in other towns, but guess what, something is better than nothing,” Miles says.

The application deadline is January 6, 2025.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

“Southern Charm” stars Craig Conover and Austen Kroll have teamed up with Uptown Hospitality Group to open their new establishment, By the Way, in Charleston, SC.

The cozy den opened its doors last Thursday with an intimate party attended by guests like the dynamic duo’s “Southern Charm” co-stars Shep Rose, Venita Aspen, Rodrigo Reyes, Salley Carson and Ryan Albert, as well as “Southern Hospitality” stars TJ Dinch and Bradley Carter.

“Craig and I are ecstatic to partner with Uptown Hospitality Group to share our idea of the ideal all-day, all-night neighborhood hang; a spot where friends old and new come together on the regular for good food, killer drinks and great fun,” Kroll, 37, said in a statement to Page Six.

The bar, nestled just one block from trendy King Street in the buzzy Cannonborough Elliotborough neighborhood, serves up comfort cuisine and craft cocktails and is open seven days a week late into the night.

Oliver Haslegrave of the Brooklyn-based interior architecture and design firm Home Studios was behind the aesthetics of the space, which features plush leather booths and banquette seating.

Additionally, custom textured plasterwork was done by artisan Benjamin Lai while artist Katherine Frost completed a stunning entrance mosaic.

The entrées — served best with a side of shoestring fries — are elevated versions of classic tavern fare dreamed up by Executive Chef Marcus Shell.

Main dishes include a burger topped with tomato jam, caramelized onions and cheddar, Steak Frites with garlic butter and chimichurri sauce, a duck confit sandwich with cranberry duck jelly and goat cheese and wild mushroom ravioli with Champagne Cream.

Stand-out appetizers on the menu include French onion dip and kettle chips, a brown butter crab crostini, stuffed Caesar salad, Fox Den wings with ranch and fried oysters and caviar with citrus crème fraîche.

While the desserts are seasonal and on a constant rotation, the cocktail selection is reliably creative and offers an option for everyone.

Martinis come in several variations including a porn star martini, an espresso tini and a “freezing cold” martini shaken with a base of either Ketel One Vodka, Tanqueray No. TEN Gin or both for the venue’s take on James Bond’s go-to Vesper martini.

Other bespoke beverages include a hot honey margarita, an elderflower spritz, a lavender gimlet, a Hemingway daiquiri and a cherry New York sour.

Zero-proof concoctions, like a grapefruit and basil “martini” and Spiritless Kentucky 74 on the rocks, are also offered for guests.

“Our hope is for By the Way to settle in and become a beloved, long-standing staple of this city’s outstanding hospitality landscape,” Uptown Hospitality Group’s co-founder and Director of Operations, Keith Benjamin, said in a statement.

The property is now open weekdays from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. and weekends from noon to 2 a.m. The team is also planning on introducing weekend brunch hours and weekday happy hours, as well as a Wednesday Night Steak Frites option in early 2025.