USC vs Coastal Carolina women’s basketball score, recap

The South Carolina women’s basketball team found success again in another intrastate matchup.

The No. 1 Gamecocks (12-0) bested Coastal Carolina on Wednesday with a 102-39 victory at Colonial Life Arena.

South Carolina got its offense going quickly, scoring 30 points in the first quarter. That mark is tied for the most the team has scored in a quarter this season, with the third quarter against Maryland matching that total.

Ball movement against Coastal (5-6) was a strong suit for the Gamecocks on Wednesday, with 23 of South Carolina’s 43 made field goals coming from assists.

Aliyah Boston stood out for USC with 10 points and 11 rebounds, notching the 68th double-double of her career. Zia Cooke also pitched in 14 points and a season-high five assists, and Ashlyn Watkins shined off the bench with a career-high 16 points.

South Carolina returns to Colonial Life Arena on Dec. 29 to open SEC play against Texas A&M.

BLOCK PARTY IN COLUMBIA

The Gamecocks came away with 16 rejections against the Chanticleers, prohibiting shot after shot from seeing the rim. South Carolina entered Wednesday averaging an NCAA-best 9.7 blocks per game.

A denial from Boston early in the second quarter was the team’s 10th of the game.

USC is noted for its defensive prowess, allowing just 50.7 points per game last season. It held Coastal Carolina to 15-of-74 (20%) shooting on Wednesday.

FIVE AT A TIME

Almost all of South Carolina’s substitutions in the first half were full lineup changes, with the exception of a point guard change toward the end of the second quarter.

USC kept its starting lineup of Cooke, Boston, Brea Beal, Victaria Saxton and Kierra Fletcher the same, then worked in other looks in sets of five.

South Carolina has adjusted its rotation several times this season before conference play. The Gamecocks have kept a balanced rotation, as no one on the team averages more than 25 minutes per game.

ON TO SEC PLAY

USC opens conference play the next time it takes the court.

It will face Texas A&M on Dec. 29 to begin its SEC schedule. The team will break from conference play briefly in February to play UConn.

South Carolina is one of three teams ranked in the SEC, with No. 10 LSU and No. 17 Arkansas as the others. The three teams have a combined 37-1 record.

South Carolina has won the SEC regular season twice in the last three seasons, and the team went 15-1 in the conference last year. The Gamecocks have won at least a share of the SEC regular season six times since their first title in 2014.

NEXT FOUR SOUTH CAROLINA WBB GAMES

• Dec. 29: home vs. Texas A&M, 7 p.m. (SEC Network or ESPN2)

• Jan. 2: at Georgia, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)

• Jan. 5: home vs. Auburn, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)

• Jan. 8: at Mississippi State, 1 p.m. (SEC Network or ESPN2)

This story was originally published December 21, 2022 1:45 PM.