Gamecocks still perfect in SEC play after win over LSU

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Aliyah Boston scored 11 of her 20 factors within the second half and grabbed 14 rebounds to assist No. Four South Carolina safe a 69-65 victory over LSU on Sunday.

Destanni Henderson added 16 factors and eight assists whereas Zia Cooke had 11 factors for South Carolina (12-1, 7-Zero SEC), which gained its 26th straight sport in opposition to convention competitors.

Khayla Pointer scored 18 and Tiara Younger 16 for the Girl Tigers (6-7, Four-Three) who’d defeated No. Eight Texas A&M earlier this month and seemed primed to stage their second upset of a prime 10 crew in two weeks once they carried a lead into the fourth quarter.

LSU took a 45-43 lead into the fourth quarter after Faustine Aifuwa’s jumper beat the clock on the finish of the third interval, and Awa Trasi’s layup briefly widened the result in 47-43 earlier than South Caroina all of the sudden seized momentum with a 9-Zero run.

The surge started with Boston’s bucket and featured 5 factors by Henderson on a Three-pointer and free throws. LeLe Grissett’s fast-break layup capped the run and made it 52-47 with 7:37 left.

LSU pulled again as shut as 56-55 after Younger’s jumper with Three:41 left, however consecutive fast-break layups by Cooke and Grissett ignited a decisive 10-2 Gamecocks run that included extra fast-break factors for Cooke and Grissett.

The 6-foot-5 Boston, who got here in averaging 14.Four factors, did not rating within the second half till she hit two free throws with Four:22 left within the third quarter to offer her 11 factors, however produced because the Gamecocks wanted her to down the stretch.

The groups mixed to start out Zero for 10 from the sphere earlier than Pointer’s layup tied the sport at 2 practically three minutes into within the opening quarter.

The gritty, bodily and defensive-oriented first jiffy foreshadowed a decent and aggressive first half throughout which each groups shot beneath 34% and neither crew led by greater than 5 factors.

Younger hit 4 of her first 5 pictures and had 10 factors within the opening half, giving LSU a 14-13 lead with a jumper early within the second quarter.

Boston scored 9 within the first half, and her layup put the Gamecocks up 21-19 late within the second quarter.

However LSU tied it on Trasi’s layup and regained the lead at 25-23 when Seay stole the ball from Cooke close to mid-court and transformed a fast-break layup with a second left earlier than halftime.

THE BIG PICTURE

South Carolina: Whereas the Gamecocks discovered themselves in a detailed contest and behind early within the ultimate interval in opposition to an LSU crew that clearly did not worry them, they by no means appeared to falter lengthy sufficient the let the sport get away from them. In the end, their superior expertise took over as they managed the late levels of the sport to safe 11th straight victory within the collection.

LSU: The bodily presence of the 6-foot-5 Aifuwa and 6-1 Trasi within the entrance court docket saved Boston from taking on the sport early. Extra scrappy protection from LSU’s backcourt confirmed how the Girl Tigers can stay aggressive in any given sport with a few of the nation’s top-ranked groups – whilst they’ve hovered round .500 total this season.

GAMECHANGER

LSU pushed its result in 4, 47-43, with 9:07 to play, however the Gamecocks responded with a 9-Zero run that was fueled by stable protection and began with an Aliyah Boston bucket, adopted by a Three and a pair of free throws from Destanni Henderson and capped off by the primary of LeLe Grissett’s eight factors within the quarter to regain the lead.

KEY STAT

After struggling to seek out an offensive movement within the first half the Gamecocks shot 62 p.c from the sphere within the second half, going 18-for-29 to take management of the sport.

NOTABLES

• The Gamecocks prolonged their SEC common season successful streak to 23 with the win.
• This system document is 24 – Jan. Three, 2016, by Jan. 26, 2017 Carolina saved the Tigers from connecting offensively all through the sport, holding LSU to simply 4 assists, its lowest whole of the season.
• The Tigers didn’t register an help within the first half. Sophomore Aliyah Boston saved her momentum from Thursday rolling into in the present day’s sport, scoring seven factors within the first quarter on her approach to a 20-point 14-rebound double-double – her third straight sport with a double-double.
• Boston has pulled down double-figure rebounds in each SEC sport this season and scored 20+ factors in 4 SEC contests.
• Junior Destanni Henderson offered the offensive spark Carolina wanted within the second half, scoring seven factors within the third, and 7 extra within the fourth, together with the Three-pointer that put the Garnet and Black again in entrance for good, ending with 16 factors and eight assists.
• Senior LeLe Grissett stepped up within the fourth scoring all eight of her factors throughout Carolina’s run to shut out the win. Along with her defensive strain, she additionally notched three rebounds and dished out three assists within the sport.
• Sophomore Zia Cooke cracked double figures for the second straight sport, scoring 11 factors, together with 4 within the closing moments of the competition to place the sport on ice. Sophomore Brea Beal put up stable numbers, scoring 10 factors to go along with her 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

UP NEXT

The No. Four/Three Gamecocks (12-1, 7-Zero SEC) head to Starkville for his or her subsequent sport in opposition to No. 19/19 Mississippi State (Eight-Four, Three-Three SEC). Tipoff is about for 7 p.m. ET on Thursday on ESPN.