South Carolina striker Aliyah Boston (center) attempts a shot against Arkansas striker Erynn Barnum (left) and guard Jailyn Mason during the first half on Monday in Columbia. SC Boston had 26 points, 16 rebounds and 6 blocks to lead South Carolina’s No. 4 win by 104-82. (AP / Sean Rayford)
The University of Arkansas remained for nearly three-quarters, but Aliyah Boston and No. 4 of South Carolina delivered the final blow on Monday night.
Boston, a 6-5 sophomore, dominated No. 15 Razorbacks with 26 points, 16 rebounds and 6 blocks to lead Gamecocks to a 104-82 victory at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC
South Carolina (10-1, 5-0 SEC) used a 9-0 spurt to lead by double digits after three quarters, then added another to turn it into a fourth period defeat.
Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors said his team had worn out against the well-rounded Gamecocks.
“When you see how well they are conditioned, disciplined, how fast they play, it has an exhausting effect,” said Neighbors. “This is the point where having played our 16th game gets us a little bit. And that’s fine.
“This is a team from South Carolina, you know the compliments I gave them last year, I think they were on their way to a national championship. And this team is so explosive, so deep, so difficult to protect and incredibly difficult to get it right [against]. The fact that we fired 71 shots is a small victory. “
Neighbors said Boston, last season’s national freshman, has more to it than just its size.
“I hate it when people say, ‘Oh, she’s so much bigger,” https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2021/jan/19/boston-bully/ “Neighbors said.” She is incredibly skilled. She is incredibly smart. It moves without the ball. She seals it when the ball is in the air. We need more low-scoring players in the country. I would love to have more like that. “
Boston averaged 16.7 points and 17.7 rebounds in three South Carolina wins over Arkansas last season. She started early again against Arkansas this season, recording a double-double at halftime.
She has only become the third player in the past 20 seasons with at least 25 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks in a SEC game, joining LSU’s Sylvia Fowles and Tennessee’s Candace Parker.
She had a lot of help when three other Gamecocks reached double digits, including Brea Beal’s career record 22. Destanni Henderson added a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists, and 6-2 Victaria Saxton added 10 points.
Arkansas (11-5, 2-4) pulled with 62-59 in Erynn Barnum’s bucket with 2:41 remaining in the third quarter. From there, it was all for South Carolina, ending the game with a fourth period of 33 points.
The Gamecocks used a 9-0 spurt to lead 71-61 after three quarters. They added another 9-0 wave to lead 85-64 with 6:11 remaining.
The Chelsea Dungee, which averages 21.4 points per game, the SEC’s best, scored 22 points for the Razorbacks. Destiny Slocum added 15, while Barnum took 13 off the bench. Amber Ramirez and Makayla Daniels had 10 each.
South Carolina never lost and jumped to a 10 point lead at the start, but Arkansas would not go away. Daniels’ steal and three points pulled Razorbacks 39-37 with 1:16 remaining in the second quarter. Destiny Littleton responded with a three point as Gamecocks settled for a 42-37 lead at halftime.
Gamecocks had almost as many offensive rebounds (14) as Arkansas’ total rebounds (15) in the first half, and enjoyed an overall 29-15 lead.
Arkansas has a game scheduled for the next 13 days. Razorback travels to Georgia number 22 on Monday after an open meeting on Thursday.
They had another meeting open on January 28, as they were scheduled to host Vanderbilt, which announced on Monday that it was ending its season because of a combination of circumstances related to covid-19, opt-outs and injuries.
Paul Boyd can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAPaulb.