Rolling to the final: No. 1 USC ousts Ole Miss to reach SEC tournament title game
The South Carolina women are back in the SEC tournament championship game.
The No. 1 Gamecocks (31-0) took care of business against Ole Miss in the tournament semifinals Saturday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, winning 80-51.
South Carolina got in an offensive flow much earlier Saturday than it did against the Rebels in Oxford. The team shot 9-of-15 from the floor in the first quarter.
Ole Miss (23-8) entered the game with the second-highest scoring defense in the SEC, but couldn’t slow down the Gamecocks like it did the last time they faced off.
Zia Cooke opened the second half with an and-1 layup, and the Gamecocks remained in control from there. Cooke finished with 14 points and said the team focused on finding the gaps in the defense.
“The last time they played us, I feel like they had the same exact game plan, which was playing in a zone,” Cooke said. “That was something that coach (Dawn Staley) really emphasized. We were able to get it done.”
The Gamecocks will play Tennessee in the SEC tournament championship game on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Amihere leads South Carolina
USC senior forward Laeticia Amihere scored 17 points in Saturday’s win. She also added seven rebounds and six assists.
Amihere entered the game early after Brea Beal picked up two quick fouls. She guarded Ole Miss’ leading scorer, Angel Baker, and made it difficult for her to get good shot attempts.
On the other end, she was getting her offense inside on drives and from offensive rebounds. She knocked down a midrange jumper and three free throws.
“She literally brought everything to the table,” Cooke said.
It was another productive performance off the bench for Amihere, after she scored 16 in Friday’s game against Arkansas.
In her fourth year with the Gamecocks, she continues to find ways to contribute in all phases of the game.
“When we have so much depth, it could be anybody’s night,” Amihere said. “Whenever my night is, I just try to step up to that plate.”
Boston breaks another record
Aliyah Boston broke Sheila Foster’s program record for most career rebounds after hauling in 11 Saturday.
Foster grabbed 1,427 boards in her career from 1978-1982.
Boston also notched the 80th double-double of her career Saturday, with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Boston’s resume continues to grow this season. She was named SEC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year earlier in the week, while also making All-SEC First Team for the fourth time in her career. She attributed her accolades to God, her teammates and her coaching staff.
“They’ve helped me and put me in positions where I can be of help for them, and then get recognized in that way,” Boston said.
‘GameDay’ on its way
South Carolina will play Sunday’s game on ESPN, and the “College GameDay” show will be set up pregame.
The network announced that it would make three “GameDay” stops this season, with the SEC championship game being the third. Tennessee and Iowa hosted the other two specials earlier in the season.
The Gamecocks hosted the event last year in a game against Tennessee, drawing a sellout crowd.
Sunday will be the sixth all-time “College GameDay” for women’s basketball. With the Gamecocks fans that have traveled the short distance to Greenville, it will serve as a de-facto home game for South Carolina.
“They are here to see us and they are here to see the SEC,” Staley said. “And they are super bias, obviously, but they appreciate great basketball and all the players that are contributing in a way that the SEC has.”
SEC tournament schedule
Sunday
Championship: South Carolina vs. Tennessee, 3 p.m. (ESPN)
This story was originally published March 4, 2023 at 6:23 PM.
