South Carolina women's basketball: Gamecocks overcome slow start, poor shooting to remain undefeated

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South Carolina overcame another slow start on the road to hold off Mississippi State for a 58-51 win.

The Gamecocks fell behind by as much as eight in the first quarter, less than a week after trailing by seven in the first quarter at Georgia. Mississippi State made six of its first ten shot attempts, whiles South Carolina missed seven of ten. 

The Gamecocks’ shooting never got much better, but they clamped down defensively. The Bulldogs shot just 3-12 in the second quarter and were outscored 20-7 in the second quarter as the Gamecocks took a 32-26 lead at halftime.

“You know it’s going to be an intense game, it’s going to be physical,” Aliyah Boston said. “Just be mentally ready for that.”

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South Carolina built a nine-point lead early in the third quarter, but the Gamecocks were ice-cold shooting. Mississippi State answered with an 8-0 run over nearly four minutes to all but wipe away the deficit. 

South Carolina went to its bread and butter: getting the ball inside and crashing the glass. Kamilla Cardoso and Boston combined to score the next six points to give South Carolina breathing room going into the fourth quarter.

“It was just, you’ve got to go make a play,” Boston said. “Be physical.”

Mississippi State pulled within five with two minutes to lay, but Brea Beal hit a three from the corner that effectively clinched the game.

For the game, South Carolina held Mississippi State to 37.9% shooting but shot just 30.3%. The Gamecocks were just 9-20 on layups, and Boston missed several open mid-range jumpers, shots she usually makes.

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With shots not falling, South Carolina relied on its size advantage inside. South Carolina was plus-18 rebounding and had 20 second-chance points off 22 offensive rebounds. The Gamecocks scored 28 points in the paint and were 14-24 from the foul line (Mississippi State was just 2-5).

“It’s just about being physical,” Boston said. “We know the physicality is coming. Coach says go make a play. That’s what we do, and we got to the free throw line.”

Boston registered her ninth double-double of the season with 12 points and a season-high 15 rebounds, setting the school record for career SEC rebounds in the process. She also had two assists and two blocks. Cardoso came up just shy of a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.

“We’ve got to perform at a high level,” Dawn Staley said. “There’s no room for us to have mental breakdowns or mental mistakes because people will make us pay for it. Mississippi State did that today. They played with energy, effort, the crowd got into it. They hit big shots, they found themselves always in the basketball game.”

Zia Cooke led South Carolina with 16 points. She also came up with a critical steal in the final minute. 

Kierra Fletcher got into early foul trouble, opening the door for a big game from Raven Johnson. Johnson provided an almost immediate spark, and finished with seven points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. She was hit in the head on a fourth-quarter steal and had to leave the game, but Staley said Johnson is fine.

“It was great to have her step in and give us the boost and energy that we needed to get back in the game,” Staley said.

BOX SCORE

Notes:

Sania Feagin did not play due to a lower right leg injury. Staley said she is day-to-day. … Ashlyn Watkins played five minutes in the first half and had three points, two rebounds, and a steal. … Brea Beal led South Carolina with four assists. … Jerkail Jordan led Mississippi State with 13 points. Jessika Carter had 11 points and nine rebounds, with nine points coming in the fourth quarter. … Aliyah Boston braids report: Boston continued to wear her red and green braids. … Dawn Staley fit report: Staley wore a black hoodie over a shirt honoring Mike Leach. The players also wore the shirt, which had Leach’s name on the front and “Swing your sword” on the back. … Announced attendance was 5,776. … South Carolina’s next game is Thursday at Kentucky.

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