Gamecocks Thwart Off Strong Effort From Tide To Remain Unbeaten
Aliyah Boston and the South Carolina Gamecocks didn't have their most efficient showing as a collective unit on Sunday afternoon. Still, through a performance reminiscent of years past, the Gamecocks were able to leave Alabama with their 27th straight win dating back to last season, which is a new program record.
The game was, in a way, a unique opportunity for South Carolina's bench to showcase their talents and how they're capable of picking up the slack when the starting lineup goes through a rare outing filled with struggles.
Everyone else in South Carolina's starting lineup scored a combined 14 points outside of Boston. When the Gamecocks had their rotational players step onto the floor, Bree Hall and Raven Johnson rose to the occasion. Hall would score a career-high 18 points, and with Alabama packing the paint, Bree got ample opportunities from behind the arc and managed to convert on 50 percent of her attempts.
Johnson, who's progressively grown into her role on the team this season, might not have had the scoring output of a Bree Hall. Still, she deserves high praise for orchestrating the offense and defending Alabama's guards, which often hindered any momentum the Tide was building. Speaking of the Tide, you have to credit Alabama for their game plan going into this contest. Based on the stats coming in, almost everyone would've assumed Alabama would've based their offense around their three-point shooting prowess.
Instead, the Tide spread the floor to consistently attacking open driving lanes, challenging Carolina's guards with their positioning and testing the Gamecocks' weakside rotations. While Alabama was able to go on multiple mini-runs to tighten the Gamecocks' lead, South Carolina was able to respond each time, as their switches were crisper as the game progressed. The Gamecocks still snagged eleven more rebounds than the Crimson Tide.
While tested well, the Gamecocks proved on Sunday that even with a subpar performance, their depth and overall size in the front court is still enough to win a war of attrition versus their opponent. South Carolina will take the floor on Thursday night when they play their second matchup of the season against the Kentucky Wildcats, this time on their home floor.
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