Columbia, SC—-South Carolina have been just rolling and beating up on their opponents of late just ask Auburn if you don’t believe.
Kamilla Cardoso scored 16 points and Aliyah Boston had 13 points and nine rebounds to lead No. 1 South Carolina to its 13th straight win over Auburn, 94-42, on Thursday night at Colonial Life Arena.
The Tigers (10-5, 0-3 SEC) struggled from the court and on the boards as the Gamecocks (15-0, 3-0) controlled the pace and were able to score inside at will and that was the difference of the game.
The Gamecocks won their 21st straight overall, dating back to their successful journey to an NCAA Tournament title last season.
“I thought their size really intimidated us,” Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. “We missed wide-open shots. We got to the free-throw line but we missed free throws. We didn’t run the floor like we planned to run the floor. They had 50 points in the paint. We were in the paint trying to battle, we got some turnovers. But we were just outmatched in the paint. They run the floor and push the ball, and we’ve got our guards getting back on big post players. But we’ll get back, we’ll watch the film, and hopefully our kids will learn from it.”
A big part of coach Dawn Staley’s game plan was to get her star players some rest in South Carolina’s first two SEC games.
Aliyah Boston played just 19 minutes in the 76-34 romp over Texas A&M and was swarmed by as many as four defenders by Georgia in the Gamecocks’ 68-51 victory on Monday.
Boston was active and on target from the start against Auburn. She made three of her four attempts — including her first 3-pointer of the season — as the Gamecocks took a 26-7 lead after the first quarter and cruised the rest of the game.
Coach Staley also mentioned post game that there was an emphasis on assists. The Gamecocks finished the night with 25.
Carolina led 52-20 at the break on the strength of 67% shooting while holding the Tigers to a 26% for the night. The pace slowed somewhat in the second half, but the Gamecocks still stayed above .500 from the field for the game.
The Gamecocks controlled the boards with a 45-25 rebounding margin. The Tigers had one of their worst nights at the free-throw line, hitting just 4-of-12 at the line, while Carolina was 15-for-18 from the charity stripe.
Victaria Saxton had 12 points and Zia Cooke, coming off a career high 31 in a win at Georgia last Monday, was the fourth South Carolina player in double figures with 10 points.
Auburn hasn’t beaten the Gamecocks since a 53-49 win at home in January 2012. The Tigers came into tonight with 12 straight losses to the Gamecocks.
Sania Wells scored a season-high 13 points on her best shooting night of the year, going 6-of-8 from the hardwood. Aicha Coulibaly chipped in a team-leading 16, and Sydney Shaw poured 11 points to give the Tigers three in double-figures.
Next Up:
Gamecocks will travel to play Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs on Sunday, Jan. 8th. The Bulldogs are 1-2 in SEC play.
The Tigers will return to Neville Arena Sunday afternoon for their first of two matchups with the rival Alabama Crimson Tide. Tip is set for 4 p.m. CT;