COLUMBIA, S., C. (AP) Zia Cooke scored 17 points and South Carolina’s No. 5 won their 13th consecutive game against Mississippi, a 68-43 victory on Thursday.
The Gamecocks (19-3, 14-1 Southeastern Conference) remained on track for a second consecutive crown in the SEC’s regular season, with a direct title fight in the 3rd Texas A&M for a loss on Sunday.
Cooke took South Carolina quickly with 12 points in the first quarter and his defense kept the Rebels in their worst pitching performance of the season.
Ole Miss (9-10, 3-10) scored just four goals in the second and third quarters, with the South Carolina advantage growing to 21 points. The rebels were just 4 out of 34 (11%) in that stretch and ended the game with 26.2% (16 out of 61).
South Carolina couldn’t afford to slip up at this weird start of the week – Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said earlier this week when she asked her operations staff what a good time to play, she was informed in the early afternoon – with the Aggies approaching.
Cooke went up in flames, scoring 10 of South Carolina’s first 12 points.
While it cooled in the second half (it started from 0 to 6), the South Carolina defense did not do so while Mississippi struggled to find open kicks. The rebels ended the half by losing their last 12 attempts and the Gamecocks maintained a 33-20 lead in the interval.
Shakira Austin scored 22 points, the best in the game, for Mississippi.
LeLe Grissett added 12 points and Victaria Saxton 10 for Gamecocks.
The game was originally defined as the opening of the SEC for both teams on December 31. That game, however, was postponed due to problems with COVID-19 among the rebels. Instead, Florida, which was scheduled for February 25, came on the scene and lost 75-59 to the Gamecocks on New Year’s Eve.
THE GREAT IMAGE
Mississippi: The rebels have taken steps this season (they were the last in the SEC at 0-16 last year), but they still don’t have enough scoring strokes to match the best teams in the league. Ole Miss has lost 10 or more SEC games in six consecutive seasons.
South Carolina: Perhaps due to the tip earlier in the week, no one on Gamecocks was particularly sharp on this one. Even Cooke struggled on the field, hitting 7 out of 23. Aliyah Boston finished with seven points, his second consecutive single-digit game. South Carolina will have to be sharper if it wants to defeat the rising Aggies.
NEXT
Mississippi ends the regular season against its fifth consecutive opponent at number 19 in Kentucky on Sunday.
South Carolina plays in 3rd place for Texas A&M on Sunday for the SEC regular season title.