No. 1 South Carolina pulls away from Kentucky for SEC road win. What we learned
No. 1 South Carolina did its part Thursday to make last season’s SEC championship game a distant memory.
The Gamecocks (17-0, 5-0 SEC) withstood an early spurt from Kentucky, outscored the Wildcats by 21 points in the fourth quarter and came away with a 95-66 road victory at Memorial Coliseum.
Kentucky (8-9, 0-5 SEC) employed a full-court press early to disrupt USC’s ball handlers. The Gamecocks got past it and found Aliyah Boston in its half-court sets. Boston scored 10 points in the first quarter.
The Wildcats got good production from Jada Walker and Maddie Scherr, with Walker getting to the rim for layups and Scherr supplying outside shooting. The Gamecocks led 20-17 entering the second quarter.
Kentucky took control of the game with an explosive start to the quarter. After scoring the last four points of the first quarter, it extended that run to a 16-0 burst. UK led by as many as 10 points in the period, and the Wildcats’ fans increased their cheering after every make basket in that stretch.
The Gamecocks didn’t stay down for long, though. The team went on a 16-0 run of its own to take a six-point lead, and led by four heading into the second half.
Though the Wildcats knocked on the door at times, USC stayed in the lead for the rest of the game. The Gamecocks ran away with the game late, scoring 36 fourth-quarter points.
The Wildcats dealt USC one of its two losses in its 2021-22 season on a last-second 3-pointer in the SEC tournament finals. South Carolina will have another shot at a revenge game on Sunday when it takes on Missouri at home — the only other team to defeat the Gamecocks last year.
SECOND QUARTER SHIFT
South Carolina was briefly on upset watch in the second quarter when the Wildcats took a 10-point lead. USC struggled mightily during UK’s 16-0 run, turning the ball over often and not converting on the opportunities it got.
The Gamecocks found a way to turn it around, however, with help from Boston, Raven Johnson and Zia Cooke. Those three accounted for every point of a 16-0 run that gave South Carolina a six-point lead.
“We’re gonna feel that (pressure during a game),” coach Dawn Staley said. “I think the most important thing is not to panic. We’ve been in that situation before and we’ll just fight and claw our way out of it.”
Cooke scored 10 of those 16 points, getting to the free-throw line with drives to the rim and making South Carolina’s first 3-pointer of the game. This was the second time in SEC play that Cooke’s shooting propelled USC when it needed offense, with her 31-point output against Georgia serving as the other instance.
Though Kentucky cut into the deficit at times, South Carolina never lost the lead again.
“Just me playing my role,” Cooke said. “Letting the game comes to me and just being ready when the ball does come to me.”
BOSTON CONTINUES EXCELLENT PLAY
Boston finished the game with 21 points and 11 rebounds, making timely shots and recording her 10th double-double this season and 70th of her career. She got going early on, using the height advantage to shoot over the top of UK defenders.
Boston built on her 10-point first quarter and helped South Carolina stay perfect on the season.
She played disruptive defense, ending the game with four blocks. Though the Wildcats managed to get easy shots inside early on, Boston was a chief reason why the Gamecocks managed to limit those opportunities down the stretch.
“I mean, that’s Aliyah Boston,” Staley said. “It organically happened, it wasn’t forced. This is the type of game she needs to have for us to be successful.”
RAVEN JOHNSON REJUVENATES GAMECOCKS
Johnson provided strong minutes in her playing time Thursday.
She ended the game with nine points and seven assists. Her defensive efforts in the 16-0 run were a big reason the momentum shifted back to USC, with three steals in her stat line.
She had two plays in which she took steals coast-to-coast for layups. She orchestrated the offense for most of the game, directing players on where to be and getting them the ball in their spots.
Johnson played a similar role in the win against Mississippi State, turning defense into offense and providing a lift off the bench.
“I take it day by day, practice by practice, trusting my teammates,” Johnson said. “I think I’m learning them more and more. Day by day with every game, I think I improve.”
NEXT FOUR SOUTH CAROLINA WBB GAMES
Sunday: home vs. Missouri, 1 p.m. (ESPN)
Jan. 19: at Vanderbilt, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
Jan. 22: home vs. Arkansas, 3 p.m. (ESPN2)
Jan. 29: at Alabama, 1 p.m. (ESPN2)
This story was originally published January 12, 2023 at 8:53 PM.
