COLOMBIA, SC (AP) – Destanni Henderson had seven of his 11 points in a decisive series in the third quarter, while No. 1 South Carolina withdrew from Missouri 77-62 on Thursday night for its 30th consecutive victory against the competition of the Southeast Conference.
Zia Cooke overcame a bad start to finish with 15 points for the Gamecocks, while Aliyah Boston had 11 points and 12 rebounds for his ninth double-double this season and 22nd of his university career.
It was a satisfactory victory for South Carolina (16-2, 11-0 SEC), who was defeated in 2nd place at UConn on Monday night, just hours after returning to 1st place.
But Missouri (7-8, 3-7) made it difficult, losing just 45-44 in the middle of the third quarter before Henderson took over. She hit a jumper and then another steering basket where it was soiled. After losing the free throw, South Carolina recovered and Henderson opened to a 3-point lead and 52-44 with 2:30 remaining in the period.
Missouri did not respond and lost for the fifth time in the last seven games and for the fourth consecutive time to South Carolina.
Gamecocks, second in the SEC with 81 points per game, took a while to intensify its attack after registering the second lowest number of points in a game this season
Missouri continued shooting for the first 25 minutes, while the Gamecocks struggled to find the basket.
The Tigers, who lead the SEC in percentage of pitches, hit 14 out of 25 (56 percent) in the first half in a game of 36 at halftime.
Meanwhile, South Carolina has experienced periods of poor shooting quality. He missed 12 of the 14 shots at the end of the first quarter and his final five in the second period, after advancing 36-31 at the end.
Lauren Hansen hit a 3-point basket and Hayley Frank added a basket in the final two minutes to go to the locker room tied.
Tigers have a habit of approaching the SEC’s top teams this season. They lost a pair of games to Arkansas ranked by eight points combined. They also had a four point loss to No. 6 Texas A&M and a six point loss to No. 20 Kentucky.
Shug Dickson scored 15 points to lead Missouri. LaDazhia Williams and Aijha Blackwell, who have an average of almost 29 points per game, were left with just 17 of them.
THE GREAT IMAGE
Missouri: The Tigers once again came close to a ranked opponent, but they lacked the speed or strength to keep up with South Carolina. Things are not getting any easier because Missouri faces four ranked opponents in its last five games of the regular season.
South Carolina: Gamecocks have a tendency to start slowly and pass through sections where even the simplest and closest photos seem to miss the mark. Although they certainly fall from first place, they have a smart and experienced lineup that will make them fight for the national title.
NEXT
Missouri returns home to face No. 24 Georgia on Sunday.
South Carolina hosts LSU on Sunday.
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