The South Carolina women’s basketball team defeated Texas A&M 65-45 on Jan. 13 at Colonial Life Arena. This was the Gamecock's fourth straight conference win and improved their record to 16-1(4-1 SEC).
Coming off of a good result against Kentucky last Sunday, the Gamecocks were able to extend their unbeaten start at home.
Junior forward Aliyah Boston was able to make an impact from the start. Just 14 minutes in, Boston broke the program record with her 10th consecutive double-double. In addition, she led the team with 19 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks.
"It's pretty exciting," Boston said. "Coach puts an emphasis all the time on rebounding the ball, so being able to get my rebounding numbers up is pretty good and that means that we're doing as she asks."
Boston breaking the program record came as no surprise to head coach Dawn Staley. Staley credited her relentless work ethic and will to win for getting her where she is in her career.
"She's constantly working and she's constantly just adding to her game," Staley said. "She's passing it, she's rebounding, she's scoring... she's doing Aliyah things."
Another big contributor for South Carolina on the night was senior guard Destanni Henderson, one of four Gamecocks starters to score double digits. She controlled the court and put up 15 points, 9 of which came from outside the arc.
"It was a good opportunity to kick out and just be ready to shoot," Henderson said.
The major key for the Gamecocks was their second-half performance. They started out the half with consecutive three-pointers coming from Henderson and junior guard Zia Cooke. This allowed the team to develop a strong lead going into the third quarter.
“We just got to hit shots," Staley said. "We just had to believe in that if you continue to take good shots — they’re gonna go in.”
Another key for the home team was limiting Texas A&M's shot attempts and speeding up their pace. The Gamecocks played strong defense and held the Aggies to 29% shooting from the field.
The team will look to continue their success as they travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas where they will face the Razorbacks on Jan. 16 at 3:30 p.m. The game will be available on ESPN2.