Ole Miss women's basketball unable to solve No. 1 South Carolina, 69-40
COLUMBIA, S.C. – If any fans thought Ole Miss coming to Colonial Life Arena was a consolation prize for what was supposed to be a top-10 women's bamatchup between South Carolina and UConn, those assumptions were quashed before tipoff.
There was a constant buzz in the stands. One of the Gamecocks' favorite daughters, A'ja Wilson, was in attendance to catch No. 1 South Carolina and the Rebels.
ESPN picked up the game for a national spotlight. Putting on a good show became the motive and with a headlining bout between two of the SEC's best forwards in Aliyah Boston and Shakira Austin, the battle delivered.
Led by Boston, the Gamecocks (19-7, 7-1 SEC) downed Ole Miss, 69-40, for their sixth straight SEC win. Ole Miss (17-3, 5-2) at No. 24 was ranked in the Associated Press poll Monday for the first time in 15 years.
“If us getting whooped on national television is going to get us four more wins, I'll take that,” Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said.
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Aliyah Boston vs. Shakira Austin
Austin didn't open the game guarding Boston, but it didn't take McPhee-McCuin long to switch things up.
The two duked it out nearly the entire game, trading head fakes, drop steps to up-and-unders. Austin played a little more face up at the top of the key, relying on her athleticism to try and get by while Boston went with more traditional post work.
Boston bested Austin offensively, scoring a game-high 22 points. But both were the engines of their team's offenses but Austin did find herself in foul trouble late in the third quarter and had to take a seat for a handful minutes and finished with 15 points.
Aliyah Boston extends program record double-double streak
The streak is now up to 13 consecutive games.
For the second straight time out, it took until the fourth quarter to clinch but Boston continues to affect to game in a multitude of ways. South Carolina coach Dawn Staley immediately subbed Boston out after her 10th rebound early in the fourth. She finished with 12.
“I kind of push it aside,” Boston said of the streak. “If it happens, it happens. If I focus on one thing it won't happen, so I just focus on winning.”
South Carolina defense catching stride
The Gamecocks had held their opponents to less than 30% shooting in three straight games, a stretch that included Rhyne Howard from Kentucky.
They made it four straight Thursday, stifling Ole Miss to just 27%. Ole Miss' two best options, Austin and Madison Scott were held to a combined 33%.
“It was embarrassing to say the least,” McPhee-McCain said.
South Carolina's rotations and switches have been crisper of late. More minutes for LeLe Grissett, Saniya Rivers and a couple of others have contributed in freshness and effectiveness.
South Carolina transition offense flips script on Ole Miss
One of the reasons Ole Miss raced out to its hot start was turning opponents' misses into fastbreak opportunities. South Carolina wasn't having any of it.
On multiple occasions, the Gamecocks, including Boston, Brea Beal and Destanni Henderson went coast-to-coast for almost uncontested baskets. In total, South Carolina scored 13 points in transition, while Ole Miss was limited to just two points while pushing the ball up the floor.
Cory Diaz covers the South Carolina Gamecocks for The Greenville News as part of the USA Today Network.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Ole Miss women's basketball loses to No. 1 South Carolina, 69-40
