5th female position in South Carolina won 13th straight in Florida

By PETE IACOBELLI
The Associated Press

COLOMBIA – Aliyah Boston, despite his strong starting numbers, knew he was not where he expected to be this season.

She took a big step in the right direction against Florida on Thursday.

Boston, the second year at 1.80 meters, had the best mark of his career, 28 points, along with 16 rebounds, and the 5th placed at the Southeastern Conference opened the Southeastern Conference game with a 75-59 victory over Florida .

Boston averaged 11.5 points and 9.7 rebounds, good, but not enough in his opinion.

“I definitely think I was holding on,” she said.

Nobody could handle it. Boston beat the best mark of its career with three points from 3 points and took a long lap after a missed shot in Florida to a basket just before the break.

It’s an extension of his game, Boston said, after being a freshman and defensive player of the year at the SEC in 2019-20.

“She had great days for us,” said Dawn Staley. But “she has been a fraction of who she has been in the first part of the season.”

It was the 13th consecutive victory over Florida (7-2) for South Carolina (6-1), which also won the SEC competition for the 20th consecutive time.

Zia Cooke had 26 points for the Gamecocks.

South Carolina had not played in two weeks since their 103-41 home win over Temple on December 17. And it looked like Gamecocks weren’t going to get into that either, when the originally scheduled opponent Ole Miss had to postpone the deadline. for COVID-19 issues.

But Florida intervened – the Gators were originally scheduled to come to South Carolina on February 25 – to start the SEC game.

At first, the Gators seemed fully capable of taking on the Gamecocks and dropped just 16-13 after Lavender Briggs had two consecutive baskets in the second quarter. That was when Boston and the Gamecocks started a 15-0 run to take control.

Boston had nine points in the raise and Cooke, the team’s top scorer this season, had four points.

When Boston fell at 3 points, Gamecocks were at 31-13 and cruising.

“I hate to be cliché, but you can’t stop it, you can only hope to contain it,” said Florida coach Cam Newbauer.

Boston dominated the half time, hitting the failed shot under the Florida basket with six seconds left, running across the court and stopping for a short jump.

Boston gave Staley a wink after the shot. “It wasn’t a wink,” joked his coach. “She was trying to catch her breath” after the long run.

Boston doubled in the interval with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Boston had his third double-double this season and 16 of his career. She also had four of South Carolina’s 10 blocks and a better career with three points out of 3.

Florida cut a 22-point lead to 57-47 at the end of the third quarter, but Gamecocks opened the final period with a 6-1 explosion to restore great leadership.

Briggs tied his career with 23 points to lead the Gators.

THE GREAT IMAGE

Florida: The Gators replaced when South Carolina’s game with Ole Miss was canceled due to the rebels’ coronavirus problems. The move has given Florida a number of better SEC teams. After the current South Carolina champion, the Gators play 9th place in Texas A&M on Sunday and 12th in Mississippi on Thursday.

South Carolina: Gamecocks lowered a flag from the arena beams before the game, celebrating the team’s 2019-20 season when they reached 32-1, won SEC regular and tournament titles and were ranked first in the country when COVID-19 ended the NCAA Women’s Tournament. The banner features a large “# 1” with “Final National Classification” and “Unamious”.

NEXT

Florida: hosts No. 9 Texas A&M on Sunday.

South Carolina: In Alabama on Monday night.