The No. 1 Gamecock women’s basketball team got off to a fast start in route to a 72-54 victory over the No. 17 Bulldogs in Athens, Georgia.
This is South Carolina’s 10th win over a top-25 team this season, leading the NCAA.
Early in the contest, the teams were tied at six points each before a big 25-4 run by the Gamecocks. Through the end of the first quarter and beginning of the second, the visitors created a sizable lead that proved too large for Georgia to overcome.
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley emphasized that these large runs start on the defensive side of the ball.
“I thought we were pretty locked in. We were in a position to contest shots and we put ourselves in a position of turning them over and pushing down and getting in transition and playing fast,” Staley said.
The Bulldogs finished the game minus six in turnovers, giving the ball up 19 times to the Gamecocks' 13.
“You can’t make the mistakes we made to start the game,” Georgia coach Joni Taylor remarked. “We had 13 turnovers at halftime which led to 25 points for them. That’s how they want to score.”
The game featured junior forward Aliyah Boston's 17th consecutive double-double. Boston finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds and one assist in 35 minutes of action. 10 of her rebounds came in the second half.
Boston, who came out of the game in the fourth quarter with nine rebounds, was sent back in after Georgia had begun to build momentum. She notched three final rebounds before the starters were pulled.
Senior guard Destanni Henderson and junior guard Zia Cooke notched 15 and 10-point games, respectively.
“We just came out strong and just took the shots that was needed and didn’t hesitate,” said Henderson, noting that the team's strong offensive showing in the first half started in practice and carried into the game.
After halftime, Georgia made adjustments and led in scoring 29-21. UGA managed to out-rebound the Gamecocks, pulling down 37 to South Carolina’s 35. This is just the second team to accomplish this all season.
South Carolina improves to 23-1 on the season and 11-1 in SEC play and faces Auburn on Thursday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. on the SEC Network.