No. 2 Gamecocks ace final SEC test before showdown with UConn, rout Auburn
The SEC’s first- and last-place women’s basketball teams met Thursday night, and No. 2 South Carolina wasted no time in asserting its dominance over Auburn, overwhelming the cellar-dwelling Tigers in the first half and cruising home for a 77-58 victory.
The Gamecocks opened things up on a 7-0 run, forcing a timeout from Auburn less than three minutes into the contest after sophomore Zia Cooke hit a 3-pointer.
But the break couldn’t cool Cooke off — she hit another 3-pointer on the next possession, then another 3-pointer the one after that.
Auburn, meanwhile, struggled to get anything going offensively. The Tigers shot just 10% in the first quarter, with more of their attempts getting blocked than going in the basket. That set the tone for a first half in which nothing went right for Auburn and South Carolina could seemingly do no wrong, going up 47-18.
Cooke tallied 17 points in the first half, nearly outscoring Auburn all by herself, and the Gamecocks kept pushing in the second quarter, going up by 30 less than 13 minutes into the game.
From there, USC cruised to its 22nd consecutive road win, the longest active streak in the country. That streak will face a major test Monday when the Gamecocks travel to No. 3 UConn.
3 OBSERVATIONS
1. Unique shutdown
Auburn’s biggest threat is senior forward Unique Thompson, who entered Thursday’s contest tops in the SEC in rebounding with 14 per game and sixth in scoring at 17.8 points per game. Early on, though, she could get absolutely nothing going against the Gamecocks, missing her first eight shots before finally getting on the score sheet with 1:31 before halftime. She finished 4-for-13 from the field with 10 points and eight rebounds, but most of her production came in garbage time.
2. Boston baking
While Cooke fell silent in the second half, adding just one rebound and no assists over the third quarter before sitting the fourth, sophomore forward Aliyah Boston took over. She had eight points in the third quarter alone and finished with 14 points and eight rebounds on the night.
3. Second half story
While the game was functionally over by halftime, coach Dawn Staley will still have a few things for USC to correct from the third quarter, when Auburn started off hot with a pair of 3-pointers and actually outscored the Gamecocks 21-18. USC’s offense was still solid, adjusting and pounding the ball inside. But the Tigers were able to get going from the floor as well.
Into the fourth quarter, Carolina’s starters rested ahead of the matchup with UConn, and Auburn continued to close the gap. In the end, the Tigers outscored the Gamecocks 40-30 in the second half.
NEXT USC BASKETBALL GAME
Who: No. 2 South Carolina (15-1, 10-0 SEC) vs. No. 3 UConn (12-1, 10-0 Big East)
When: Monday, Feb. 8
Where: Gampel Pavilion, Storrs, Connecticut
Watch: FS1
