No. 1 Gamecocks wrap regular season with gritty win over Ole Miss. What we learned
No. 1 South Carolina women’s basketball didn’t run away with a win Sunday over the Ole Miss Rebels like it did in the 29-point victory Jan. 27, but the Gamecocks were able to hold off the surging Rebels in a 71-57 win to cap off regular-season play.
The Gamecocks (27-1, 15-1 SEC) ended the Rebels’ four-game win streak in SEC play and extended their own conference win streak 15 games to finish the 2021-22 regular season with a single loss. South Carolina lost an overtime contest to Missouri on Dec. 30.
The Rebels (22-7, 10-6 SEC) kept pace with the Gamecocks early, shooting an efficient 41.7% from the field and trailing by seven points at the half. Ole Miss first relinquished a lead with 9:13 to go in the second quarter and didn’t see it return.
National Player of the Year candidate Aliyah Boston extended her SEC-record double-double streak to 21 straight games against the Rebels. She scored 15 points with 14 rebounds in 32 minutes. Boston eclipsed the SEC record in consecutive double-doubles in South Carolina’s previous win over Texas A&M.
Before the game, Ole Miss clinched the No. 4 seed and a double-bye in the upcoming SEC tournament, as Florida lost to Missouri on Sunday. South Carolina secured the tournament’s No. 1 seed in its win over Tennessee last week and solidified the SEC regular-season title in its last game against Texas A&M.
Here’s what we learned about the Gamecocks.
Destanni Henderson provides X-factor, scores career high
Destanni Henderson eclipsed her career-best scoring effort at Ole Miss, dropping 23 points on 9 of 22 shooting in Oxford. She added eight assists and two rebounds.
The Gamecocks’ veteran point guard began lighting up the Rebels in the first half, scoring 16 points on 6 of 9 shooting with five assists through the game’s first 20 minutes.
Henderson capitalized on the matchup’s quick pace, providing a spark for USC in its transition offense. The Gamecocks scored 10 points on the fast break in the first half.
Ole Miss keeps pace with USC’s starters
The Rebels kept up a back-and-forth contest with the Gamecocks, trailing by two points to end the first quarter and keeping the game’s margin within single digits throughout the first half.
Ole Miss had two scorers in double figures after the first 20 minutes, with Shakira Austin and Lashonda Monk both scoring 10 in the first half. Austin, the Rebels’ leading scorer, didn’t take a shot in the first quarter but finished the game with 20 points on 8 of 14 shooting with seven rebounds. Monk finished with 16 points, and Angel Baker added 11 points off the bench.
The Rebels shot 38% from the field and didn’t allow a double-digit lead until the fourth quarter. Ole Miss outscored South Carolina 16-15 in the third quarter, but the Gamecocks held a 16-8 advantage in the fourth.
Dawn Staley, who had been experimenting with lineups from USC’s talented bench in SEC play, opted to keep the Gamecocks’ starters in for much of the game Sunday. LeLe Grissett was the only reserve to see extended minutes in Oxford as Victaria Saxton got into foul trouble.
USC guards make a difference
Henderson wasn’t the only Gamecock guard with a solid performance against Ole Miss.
Zia Cooke, who scored just two points in South Carolina’s Thursday win at Texas A&M, scored 12 points on 6 of 13 from the field with three assists. Brea Beal scored 11 points, including two 3-point shots, in her first double-digit scoring effort of the season. Beal also tallied three assists and two blocks.
Grissett added eight points, one block and one steal off the bench.
Next South Carolina women’s basketball game
Who: No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks (27-1, 15-1 SEC) vs. Arkansas Razorbacks (17-12, 7-9 SEC) OR Missouri Tigers (18-11, 7-9 SEC)
When: 1 p.m. Friday, March 4
Where: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee
Watch: SEC Network
This story was originally published February 27, 2022 at 3:51 PM.
