The South Carolina Gamecocks defeated the North Carolina A&T Aggies 79-42 in Monday night's matchup in Colonial Life Arena.
The Gamecocks started the game out red-hot going up 7-0. Junior forward Aliyah Boston led the team with nine of the Gamecocks’ 16 points in the first quarter.
Despite the offensive onslaught from Boston, the Aggies tried to keep the game close, but its efforts were stifled by Carolina’s defense. Boston landed two big blocks midway through the second quarter.
This defensive pressure gave South Carolina the momentum it needed to extend its lead over the Aggies, going on a 22-point run.
When the buzzer sounded at the end of the second quarter, NC A&T trailed South Carolina 40-15 to head into halftime.
The Gamecocks started the second half in similar fashion as the first, destroying any comeback hopes the Aggies might have had.
NC A&T could not get into a rhythm and scored inconsistently throughout the game while the Gamecocks were the opposite. Although Boston was the only Gamecock to score double figures, she finished the night with 29 points, shooting a perfect 13-13 from the field.
Boston added 14 rebounds, three blocks and two steals to her career-high 29 points, absolutely dominating both ends of the floor.
Head coach Dawn Staley said Boston achieved her career-high by setting herself up to have a perfect night.
“She’s hitting shots. She’s being dominant,” Staley said.
South Carolina is the top-ranked team in the country and is currently undefeated at 8-0 for the season. The team is recently coming off of a huge 73-57 win against No. 2 ranked Connecticut.
The Gamecocks will host Kansas State on Friday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. in Columbia, SC.