South Carolina basketball: Zia Cooke and Brea Beal catch fire in rout of Florida

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South Carolina made quick work of Florida Thursday night for an 87-56 win.

South Carolina scored first, and second, and never really slowed down. The Gamecocks scored on seven of their first nine possessions, and a 13-2 run helped double up the Gators. South Carolina led 29-15 after one quarter and 51-21 at halftime.

The Gamecocks poured it on behind Zia Cooke and Brea Beal. Beal hit her first three three-point attempts, tying her career-high. She finished with a season-high 14 points, hitting double-figure scoring for the third time in the last five games. 

“I felt great coming out. It was my teammates pushing me and encouraging me really,” Beal said. “They put me in the right mindset to being dominant on offense and defense.”

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Beal also had seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.

“She’s got the green light,” Dawn Staley said. “She’s not one who’s going to take advantage of that. She’s a really good passer. She’s starting to blossom.”

Cooke scored 22 points on 8-11 shooting. She hit 5-7 from three, tying her career-high. Her night was highlighted by her last three, when she shot, spun 360 degrees, and then watch the ball go through the net.

Cooke has bounced back from her midseason slump and scored 15, 17, and 22 over the last three games. She is shooting 58.8% during this stretch, including 60% from three.

“Just sticking with my routine. Just not getting too high with the highs or low with the lows, staying consistently mentally in the right space no matter if I’m hitting shots or not,” Cooke said. “This year I’m finding ways to impact the team in other ways so it doesn’t bother me.”

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The second half was often sloppy, but a 9-0 Gamecock run shortly after the media timeout pushed the lead to 37 and allowed Staley to pull her starters.

Ashlyn Watkins recorded her second career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Kamilla Cardoso had five points and 11 rebounds. It was not pretty in the fourth quarter, living up to the reputation as garbage time.

“That’s what happens when they don’t play a whole lot,” Staley said. “They get out there and they’re excited They want to play well, they want to do things, they want to see the work they’ve been putting in in practice so they get a little overzealous.”

South Carolina outrebounded Florida 55-27 and blocked seven shots. The Gamecocks had 25 second-chance points and 36 points in the paint. 

Florida had three players foul out, and by the end of the game freshman point guard Myka Perry was playing center. Kelly Rae Finley asked Perry if she was up for the challenge and then said, “Let’s go have some fun.”

“I was proud of our team and how we competed. I was proud of our effort,” Finley said. “I was proud of our team’s willingness to do whatever we asked.”

Nina Rickards led Florida with 16 points. Perry had 10. 

BOX SCORE

Notes:

Before the game, Staley presented Florida assistant coach Cynthia Jordan with her championship ring. Jordan was South Carolina’s director of basketball operations from 2011-2023. … Three different Gators fouled out. … Victaria Saxton scored 11 points. … Aliyah Boston had just four points and six rebounds, but only played 15 minutes. … All 14 Gamecocks played. Only Kierra Fletcher, Chloe Kitts, and Olivia Thompson did not score. … South Carolina was minus-five turnovers but plus-three points off. … Florida coach Kelly Rae Finley walked into the postgame press conference and asked, “What’s the deal with the Chick-fil-A promotion?” After the Fowl Shot was explained, she said, “It’s too bad she hit that second free throw.” … Aliyah Boston braids report: Boston debuted her fourth look of the season, red braids with pinkish highlights. … Dawn Staley fit report: Staley wore a black Givenchy sweatshirt. … Announced attendance was 13,943. … South Carolina’s next game is Sunday at Ole Miss.

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