South Carolina overturns Mississippi State 75-52

By ROBBIE FAULK
The Associated Press

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Zia Cooke scored 19 points and Victaria Saxton added 13 to help South Carolina’s No. 4 defeat the state of Mississippi in 21st place by 75-52 on Thursday night.

After scoring just 10 points in the first quarter and losing by one, South Carolina used a dominant second quarter to take control of the game.

Cooke scored the first eight points to trigger a 12-0 streak that led to a 36-23 lead at the break and the Bulldogs never recovered.

Mississippi State (8-6, 3-4 SEC) only hit 22 out of 65 field shots in the game, as Bulldogs were never able to consistently find the bottom of the net, despite some good appearances within the painting. Second-year All-SEC player Rickea Jackson scored just two points in the first half, before finding an offensive pace in the second half and scoring the team’s best score, 15 points.

It was a dominant painting performance for the Gamecocks (13-1, 8-0), as they overcame the State of Mississippi by 44-28 on the inside and had a 51-38 rebound advantage. Gamecocks star Aliyah Boston had just six points but had 12 rebounds.

Saxton had 11 rebounds for a double-double.

BIG PICTURE

South Carolina: South Carolina’s victory kept them at the top of the SEC ranking as they seek the SEC’s second consecutive title.

Mississippi State: Bulldogs are in the midst of their worst basketball phase in seven years. The defeat for Gamecocks was the third in a row for MSU and the first streak of three consecutive defeats since 2014.

NEXT

South Carolina hosts Alabama on Sunday.

The state of Mississippi hosts Tennessee next Thursday.