How USC stars Zia Cooke, Aliyah Boston were Gamecocks’ ‘catalysts’ in Maryland win
Zia Cooke didn’t know she was just one shot away Sunday from hitting 1,000 points in her South Carolina women’s basketball career.
She had been nearing the mark steadily throughout the Gamecocks’ last few contests, needing 17 points before North Carolina A&T and nine heading into Kansas State.
Even as the four-digit number moved closer to reality, Cooke remained unaware — until Aliyah Boston told her.
“’I was like, Aliyah, why would you tell me? I don’t want to know,’” Cooke said. “And she was like, ‘It’s OK, you’re gonna get it.’ ”
It was fitting that Cooke and Boston both eclipsed 1,000 career points in No. 1 South Carolina’s 66-59 win over No. 8 Maryland as the two led the way for the Gamecocks’ fourth Top-10 victory through the first 10 games of the 2021-22 season.
The two juniors led USC’s scoring effort Sunday — Cooke with 20 points and Boston with 16 — and Cooke ended up scoring the last three points needed for the milestone on a go-ahead 3-point shot in the second quarter.
“I knew we both were gonna end up getting it tonight,” Cooke said.
Cooke and Boston were both members of head coach Dawn Staley’s top-rated 2019 recruiting class, which has been carving a legacy into the South Carolina program since arriving on campus.
The 2019-20 Gamecocks went 32-1 and won the SEC tournament championship before the COVID-19 pandemic caused the NCAA tournament cancellation, ended the class’ stellar freshman season. That year, South Carolina ended the season ranked No. 1 in the nation.
Last season, South Carolina finished 26-5 and made a run to the Final Four, losing a last-second battle to eventual national champion Stanford.
With senior Destanni Henderson out with a leg injury, four of the Gamecocks’ starting five in their last two games have been juniors, with Laeticia Amihere joining mainstays Boston, Cooke and Brea Beal.
“(With) the entire 2019 class, when you have a collection of players that want to play with each other, you can really make magic happen,” Staley said. “Aliyah and Zia have done that, and I’m glad they’re teammates. I’m glad that we have an inside-outside opportunity to make teams pay.”
Cooke, on this year’s watch list for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award given to the nation’s best shooting guard, is averaging 12.6 points per game on a career-best 40% from the field in the first 10 games.
Amid a three-game stretch against Top 20 opponents, Cooke also said she’s more confident this season than ever.
“It’s actually funny because now when we’re in games like this, personally for myself, I don’t get nervous,” Cooke said. “I just know we can do it, so I guess that just comes with the maturity of being a junior now.”
Cooke’s confidence against Maryland propelled her to score the Gamecocks’ go-ahead layup with 5:13 to go Sunday. With the game tied at 55, Cooke grabbed a steal and ran it all the way back to the basket to give the Gamecocks their final lead of the game.
Determined to return South Carolina’s lead, Cooke told herself she had to get another steal.
“Oh my God, it was exciting,” Cooke said. “It was a rush that went through me. You guys know how I get, so I definitely loved getting that steal.”
Boston, a preseason AP All-American and two-time Lisa Leslie Award winner for the nation’s best center, is making a case for player of the year. In her last five outings, she has averaged 20 points, 13.2 rebounds and 3.6 blocks on 67% shooting from the field.
Boston added 16 rebounds (six offensive) to South Carolina’s 61 total against Maryland and blocked a season-high seven shots.
Staley often says South Carolina’s stars have to be stars, and star Gamecocks Boston and Cooke shined against Maryland.
“At certain points in the game, they both were the catalysts that we needed to score points, get a steal, get a stop or get a rebound,” Staley said. “They’ve brought that presence to our team for the past two and a half years.”
Next South Carolina women’s basketball game
Who: No. 1 South Carolina (10-0) vs. No. 19 Duke (8-0)
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.
Watch: ACC Network
South Carolina vs Maryland box score
MARYLAND (9-3)—Bibby 0-5 2-2 2, Collins 3-10 0-0 8, Reese 7-19 6-9 20, Benzan 3-5 0-0 9, Owusu 3-17 5-8 11, Masonius 4-4 1-2 9, Sellers 0-4 0-0 0, Team 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 20-64 14-21 59
SOUTH CAROLINA (10-0)—Amihere 1-7 2-5 4, Boston 7-15 2-4 16, Saxton 3-6 1-2 7, Beal 2-11 1-3 6, Cooke 5-13 8-10 20, Grissett 2-2 1-2 5, Cardoso 2-4 0-1 4, Feagin 0-0 0-0 0, Hall 0-0 0-0 0, Rivers 2-8 0-0 4, Team 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 24-66 15-27 66
Halftime—South Carolina 34-30. 3-Point Goals—Maryland 5-13 (Bibby 0-1, Collins 2-4, Benzan 3-5, Owusu 0-1, Sellers 0-2), South Carolina 3-17 (Amihere 0-1, Boston 0-1, Beal 1-5, Cooke 2-7, Rivers 0-3). Assists—Maryland 6 (Bibby 2), South Carolina 7 (Cooke 2). Fouled Out—Maryland Benzan. Rebounds—Maryland 34 (Team 5-7), South Carolina 61 (Saxton 7-8). Total Fouls—Maryland 21, South Carolina 16. Technical Fouls—None. A—12,862.
This story was originally published December 13, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
