Gamecocks bounce back to score win over Mississippi State in SEC home opener

South Carolina has not lost consecutive SEC games since February 2013, and the Gamecocks were not about to let the home conference opener break that trend.

The No. 1 ranked Gamecocks were coming off a stunning road loss to Missouri on Thursday when they rebounded Sunday night with a convincing 80-68 victory over Mississippi State at the Colonial Life Arena in what was a replacement game for both teams on the schedule.

Zia Cooke shook off a recent shooting slump to score 18 points, Aliyah Boston recorded her eighth double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Victaria Saxton added 13 points to lead an overall balanced attack for the Gamecocks (13-1, 1-1 SEC). Destanni Henderson added a career-high 14 rebounds.

“It refocuses you,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said of the mindset after a loss. “I thought we had a couple of good days of practice. Sometimes you just need to get back out there really quick. It may not be perfect basketball, but it’s basketball. It’s competing again and trying to figure some things out.”

COOKE HEATS UP

Maybe the best thing that came out of the win over the Bulldogs was the performance of Cooke.

The Gamecocks rely on her scoring ability, but that had taken a hit in the previous six games. She was 16 of 78 shooting over that span. It wasn’t all erased against Mississippi State as Cooke went 6-of-16, but it certainly felt better than the 20.1% she was shooting in that six-game span.

“I couldn’t tell you what was really going on throughout those six games, but I play with a good group of girls,” Cooke said. “If it’s not falling for me, I’m pretty sure it’s falling for someone else. That’s what it’s like when you play with a good team. It’s not always going to be your night. But I didn’t change anything. I kept the same routine I’ve been doing. I know it would show for itself.”

Staley said she let Cooke fight through the slump.

“I left it alone,” she said. “I think sometimes the more you talk about it, the more it becomes a mental thing. I don’t think I had any magic words. Sometimes, the law of averages says it’s going to be back on track.”

ADJUSTING TO THE SCHEDULE

South Carolina was originally slated to open its home portion of the SEC schedule against Ole Miss on Sunday. That game was postponed due to a combination of positive tests, contact tracing and quarantining of players for the Rebels.

Mississippi State had its SEC opener against Florida on Thursday postponed for the same reason. Kentucky then had to postpone its contest with the Bulldogs scheduled for Monday because of COVID-19 issues. That allowed the Gamecocks and Bulldogs to play Sunday. This game replaces the Mississippi State-South Carolina contest that was scheduled for Feb. 6.

The Gamecocks did play without four players. Olivia Thompson and Laeticia Amihere were out due to health and safety protocols. Lele Grissett and Saniya Rivers were back on the bench but still in a phase of the health and safety protocols that they’re not able to play yet.

STAT SHEET WAS FULL

South Carolina shot just 38.2% in the loss to Missouri. That number reached 50% against Mississippi State (9-4, 0-1). It’s just the third time this season this season the Gamecocks reached that mark. It’s the first time in four games they’ve been over 39%.

“Our stat sheet looked different than it did in previous games. We shot the ball a lot better, and that’s a good start,” Staley said.

South Carolina got a strong effort from the bench. Eniya Russell scored eight points with four rebounds, both career-highs for the sophomore in SEC play. Kamilla Cardoso added 10 points and six rebounds. In total, South Caroline held a 27-6 advantage in bench points.

Next South Carolina basketball game

• Who: USC at LSU
• When: 8 p.m. Thursday
• Where: Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La.
• Watch: Streaming on SEC Network Plus

SC vs Mississippi State box score

MISSISSIPPI ST. (9-4)—Carter 1-3 0-0 2, Jackson 5-19 4-4 14, Anastasia Hayes 6-14 2-2 15, Jordan 7-16 2-3 16, Taylor 5-15 4-4 15, Farley 1-2 0-0 2, Kohl 0-0 0-0 0, Aislynn Hayes 2-3 0-0 4, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Thompson 0-1 0-0 0, Team 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 27-73 12-13 68

SOUTH CAROLINA (13-1)—Boston 5-7 5-7 16, Saxton 6-8 1-2 13, Beal 1-1 0-0 2, Cooke 6-16 4-4 18, Henderson 2-7 0-0 4, Wesolek 0-0 0-0 0, Cardoso 4-5 2-2 10, Littleton 2-4 0-0 6, Feagin 0-2 0-0 0, Hall 0-2 3-4 3, Russell 2-4 4-5 8, Team 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 28-56 19-24 80

Halftime—South Carolina 45-35. 3-Point Goals—Mississippi St. 2-17 (Jackson 0-4, An.Hayes 1-2, Jordan 0-3, Taylor 1-7, Thompson 0-1), South Carolina 5-14 (Boston 1-2, Cooke 2-6, Henderson 0-2, Littleton 2-2, Hall 0-2). Assists—Mississippi St. 6 (Taylor 2), South Carolina 15 (Henderson 8). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Mississippi St. 31 (Team 5-5), South Carolina 45 (Boston 4-11). Total Fouls—Mississippi St. 16, South Carolina 11. Technical Fouls—None. A—11,403.

This story was originally published January 2, 2022 at 8:01 PM.