South Carolina No. 4/5 used a 17-2 run over seven minutes to end the third quarter and start the fourth to defeat Kentucky No. 8/10 75-70. The Gamecocks rally was led by center Aliyah Boston, who played just five minutes into the first half. Boston accumulated 16 points in the second half to lead Gamecocks in their 20th consecutive SEC victory. Destanni Henderson was also brilliant in the second half, scoring 14 of his team, the best of 22 points in the final stretch. Below are my main conclusions from this big SEC victory.
False positive
South Carolina was forced to stop all team activities after last Monday’s victory in Alabama due to a positive COVID-19 test. Carolina’s game against Georgia, scheduled for last Thursday, was postponed and the team was unable to train, train, or do anything but sit, wait and do mental preparation. However, after three consecutive negative tests for everyone, the game would be played as scheduled. The Gamecocks had little more than a walk on Saturday night, so they embarked on a morning flight to Lexington, Ky. To face the first 10 Wildcats. The lay-off appeared early on, with Gamecocks having 12 returns in the first half and losing 41-32 in the interval.
No game delay
Dawn Staley argued after the game that the associate coach Lisa Boyer had tried to convince her to delay the game until Monday to give the team another day of preparation. Staley never considered that. She wanted to use this game, critical as it was to her team’s ratings nationally and at the SEC, to see how they would react to some adversity.
Staley would say after the game that she was super proud of her team for overcoming the lack of physical preparation and using the motto “No excuses” for this season when there will be many unknowns and having to pivot. This team also achieved a major victory in the top 10 on the road against what this writer believes to be the most talented and profound Kentucky team that South Carolina has faced in many. Many years.
Howard Rock
The best female college basketball player in the country is Rhyne Howard. For those who don’t know, her name is pronounced Ryan. Remember her name. The 6’2 junior guard / winger is unstoppable with the ball in his hands. Howard scored 32 points yesterday, beating double teams and showing skillful moves, and scoring from everywhere except behind the three-point line. Howard also played 38 minutes, which is a lot of you to carry your team on your back. However, Howard is the real deal. Howard scored 19 of his 32 points in the first half. The only way for South Carolina to stop it was to get together twice to get the ball out of its hands; even so, Howard would find an open or sharp teammate who would hit an easy bucket or look open.
As Kentucky’s new coach Kyra Elzy would say after the game, it’s not just a goal that makes Howard the best player in the country. She can fill in the statistics sheet. Howard was very efficient 13-25 of the field, 6-6 from the free-throw line, had seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, one block and committed only one turn in 38 minutes, despite having the ball in his hands almost all Wildcat possessions.
Gamecock comeback powered by decisive race
Carolina lost 54-46 with about four minutes left in the third quarter. The Gamecocks continued to run 11-2 and closed the quarter scoring nine points to take a 57-56 lead in the final 10 minutes. The Gamecocks surpassed Kentucky 25-15 in third period. Alyiah Boston hit a big three-point ball from the top after a tray from Zia Cooke to cut the lead to 56-51. After a Henderson drive reduced the deficit to 56-53, Kentucky asked for time with 1:24 remaining in the period. Boston came out and blocked a shot, pulled the ball and drove the entire length of the court to place the ball and cut the deficit to just one. Sophomore student Laeticia Amihere scored the final basket of the fourth to give Gamecocks a 57-56 lead in the final period.
After Howard scored the first bucket in the fourth quarter, The Gamecocks would go for a 12-2 run, fueled by four points each from Boston and Henderson to lead 69-60 with only 4:27 left in the competition. After Kentucky guard Chastity Patterson scored eight consecutive points on a tray and three consecutive to cut the 69-68 lead, senior Lele Grissett scored on a beautiful left-handed tray to put the Gamecocks at 71-68 . After a couple of free throws from Howard, who reduced the lead to 71-70, Boston made another important move, following his own missed elbow shot, grabbing the rebound of the iron in a deadly run and putting it on to give Gamecocks 73-70 leadership. Cooke sealed the victory with two free throws, making the final score 75-70 Gamecocks.
Henny reaches high speed
There is no faster guard in the SEC with a ball than Destanni Henderson. The 5’7 junior kicked out at high speed yesterday, often blowing across the wildcat team running the ball across the floor, going into the ring and scoring or being knocked down. Coach Elzy commented after the game that he did not see a quicker guard in the league after facing Arkansas, the State of Mississippi, Texas A&M and now South Carolina, which along with Kentucky are among the top five SEC teams . Henderson was not as usual when it came to running the ball. I’m sure the slack and lack of practice contributed to his six turns, but Henderson, like Howard, fills in the stats sheet, finishing 8-17 on the field, 6-7 on the free-throw, 8 rebounds and three assists .
Big Amihere off the bench
With Boston taking his second foul just five minutes into the game, Amihere intervened and gave the Gamecocks a great boost at both ends of the court. The 1.80m striker scored 10 points from 5-9 shots, had four rebounds, an assist and a steal in 23 minutes of action. Amihere scored eight of his points in the first half, while Boston were left out due to serious problems. These points were large and kept the gap deficit below double digits, giving Gamecocks a chance to recover.
Boston Big Night
The 1.8 m tall All-American responded as expected after the break, playing every 20 minutes, scoring 20 points in 8 to 14 shots, catching 12 rebounds and blocking seven shots. Boston had five offensive rebounds and three steals. In short, she was the player that everyone expected her to come for the season. Boston loaded his team, doing things that surprised even the broadcast team and this writer. Boston went from coast to coast on more than one occasion after a block or theft to end at the edge. She showed her skill set to be able to cross the track with her left hand and finish in the ring, hit the big break by changing three points at the end of the third quarter and blocked several shots on the stretch to preserve the victory. Last night’s ESPN audience watched a top-notch game with two of America’s top five players on display in Boston and Howard.
Free throws are still an issue
Gamecocks entered this contest shooting just under 62 percent as a free throw line team. That’s a good 10 points below what you would expect from a top five team and a candidate for the National Championship. Missing free throws cost Gamecocks some opportunities to really set the game aside much earlier than they did. Victaria Saxton was just 1-4 on the line, losing a pair during Carolina’s decisive 12-2 series in the fourth quarter that could have extended the lead even further. Zia Cooke, the team’s biggest free-throw shooter, with 81 percent, also missed a pair of free throws with just 25.9 seconds remaining, which would increase Gamecocks’ lead to 75-70. Instead, Kentucky recovered the ball with a chance to tie the game and send it into overtime. The Gamecocks stopped and Cooke redeemed himself, hitting the last two free throws in the game to complete the comeback. For the game, Carolina managed just 12-20 of the line. This MUST improve.
Money ball
Gamecocks once again used what I call their critical statistics to seal the victory. The Gamecocks overcame Kentucky by 46-31, including 17 offensive rebounds, which led to a 23-10 lead on second chance points. Carolina dominated in painting, surpassing Kentucky 56-34. Gamecocks also won the 12-8 breakout battle.
Next
Gamecocks are scheduled to travel to Vanderbilt on Thursday for a 8 pm competition with the Commodores before returning home to face No. 13 Arkansas at Colonial Life Arena on Monday, January 18 at 7 pm on ESPN2.