Thu, Feb 4, 2021
By JOHN ZENOR (AP Sports Writer)
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) - Zia Cooke scored all 17 of her points in the first half and Aliyah Boston added 14 points and eight rebounds to lead No. 2 South Carolina over Auburn 77-58 on Thursday night.
The Gamecocks (15-1, 10-0 Southeastern Conference) built a commanding early lead and take a 12-game winning streak into Monday's visit to No. 3 Connecticut.
Cooke hit three 3-pointers in a 50-second span of the first quarter as the Gamecocks jumped ahead 26-6 over the Tigers (5-12, 0-9). She had 14 points in the quarter, including a bank shot at the buzzer, and they pushed their lead to 29 by halftime.
Boston made 7 of 8 shots for South Carolina, which shot 49.2 % from the floor (31 of 63) despite cooling off considerably in the second half.
Victaria Saxton scored 11 points and Lele Grissett 10 for the Gamecocks. South Carolina made 18 of 31 shots (58.1%) before the half.
Honesty Scott-Grayson led Auburn with 15 points. The SEC's leading rebounder, Unique Thompson, scored 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting and had eight rebounds. Those were eight points and six boards below her season averages.
BIG PICTURE
South Carolina: Won its 26th consecutive SEC regular season game, matching Mississippi State for the fifth longest streak in league history. Has 11 straight wins over the Tigers.
Auburn: Started 2 of 27 from the floor (7.4%) into the second quarter. finished shooting 23 of 66 (34.8%). Remains winless in SEC games and never put up much of a challenge in this one.
UP NEXT
South Carolina has that Monday night showdown with UConn, the Gamecocks fourth road trip in five games.
Auburn hosts Missouri on Sunday in a game that was rescheduled because of COVID-19 issues.
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