No. 1 Gamecocks pass pre-UConn test with SEC win over Kentucky. What we learned
South Carolina’s first series sweep of the season is in the books.
The No. 1 Gamecocks (22-0, 10-0 SEC) defeated Kentucky 87-69 in Colonial Life Arena on Thursday, giving them their second win this season over UK.
Thursday’s game started a bit smoother for USC than its January battle with the Wildcats. South Carolina shot an efficient 48.7% from the field in the first half. It did commit nine turnovers in that stretch, but forced 10 giveaways against Kentucky on the other end.
Kentucky (10-12, 2-8 SEC) made a quick run in the third quarter to cut the lead to six points, but USC pulled away with its stout defense.
“I thought they scored some easy points in transition,” Kentucky head coach Kyra Elzy said. “And I didn’t think our first-shot defense was bad, but it was the second and third rebound that we allowed them to get for offensive putbacks which was easy scoring opportunities for them.”
South Carolina continued its shot-blocking spree as well, finishing Thursday’s game with 14 swats.
Aliyah Boston recorded her 15th double-double of the season for the Gamecocks, tallying 14 points and 14 rebounds. She blocked three shots of her own. Senior guard Brea Beal bounced back from a difficult performance against Alabama to score 10 points and grab four rebounds for USC.
Beal cited an improved mental toughness for her performance on Thursday after shooting 1-of-9 Sunday.
“Just because I missed shots doesn’t mean they’re bad shots,” Beal said about her game against Alabama. “And I think in this game, it just showed I didn’t get rocked by it.”
South Carolina now moves on to Sunday and a national championship rematch against UConn.
CARDOSO MAKES HER MARK
Junior center Kamilla Cardoso shined off the bench for USC.
She ended with 14 points Thursday with five blocks, tying a season high.
Thursday marked the 10th time this season that Cardoso scored double-digits off the bench. It was also her seventh game with three or more blocked shots.
Cardoso is South Carolina’s third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder. USC’s made it a point to involve her more in the game plan, and they’ve lobbied for her to assert herself more into the games.
“We need Kamilla’s production,” USC head coach Dawn Staley said. “We need her efficient. We need her looking to score. We need her rebounding. We need her blocking shots. We need a consistent Kamilla because we can separate ourselves by her play.”
GAMECOCKS STAY SECURE IN SEC STANDINGS
USC remains at the top in the SEC standings, though not alone.
No. 3 LSU entered Thursday as the other undefeated team in the conference and began its own game against Georgia after USC tipped off.
Tennessee follows closely behind with an 8-1 conference record, and the Tigers account for their only loss.
South Carolina has six conference games remaining, two of which are against the other teams in the top three of the standings. It plays one more SEC game before its Feb. 12 showdown against LSU.
USC’s victory on Thursday proves crucial toward the team’s efforts to clinch the SEC regular season and earn a No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
MOVING ON TO UCONN
The Gamecocks will bring their undefeated regular season record to Sunday’s game in Hartford, Connecticut.
USC will play the Huskies for the first time since the 2022 national championship, when it defeated UConn 64-49. That win secured South Carolina’s second national title and gave UConn its first finals loss.
“It kind of feels like a shift personally,” Beal said. “You want to be conference champs and you want to make it far in the conference tournament, but then you gotta shift and play an out-of-conference team, and they’re a good team. They’re a top 10 team.”
The Huskies are 21-2 this season and the No. 5 team in the Associated Press poll. South Carolina has won three of the last four meetings.
UConn is the No. 2 team in the NET rankings, which is used by the NCAA to help determine the quality of a team’s tournament résumé.
“I’m really confident because we’re not the team to be thinking about them five games earlier,” Beal said. “So I’m really confident in our play and where our mental is.”
NEXT FOUR SOUTH CAROLINA WBB GAMES
Sunday: at UConn, noon (Fox)
Feb. 9: at Auburn, 8 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Feb. 12: home vs. LSU, 2 p.m. (ESPN)
Feb. 16: home vs. Florida, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
This story was originally published February 2, 2023 at 9:04 PM.
