No. 15 Arkansas hung around for nearly three quarters but Aliyah Boston helped No. 4 South Carolina apply the knockout punch Monday night.
Boston, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, dominated the Razorbacks again to the tune of 26 points, 16 rebounds and six blocked shots to lead the Gamecocks to a 104-82 win in Colonial Life Arena.
Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors said his team just wore down against the well-rounded Gamecocks.
“When you see how well-conditioned they are, how disciplined they are, how fast they play, it just has a wearing effect,” Neighbors said. “This is where having played our 16th game catches up to us a little bit. And that’s OK.
“This is a South Carolina team ... y’all know how much praise I gave them last year. I think they were on their way to a national championship. This team is just as explosive, just as deep, just as hard to guard and just incredibly hard to get a shot off (against). The fact that we got off 71 shots is a small victory.”
Neighbors said Boston, the National Freshman of the Year last season, has more going for her than just her size, even though that is quite an issue for the smaller Razorbacks.
“I hate it when people go, ‘Oh, she’s just so much bigger,’” Neighbors said. “She’s incredibly skilled. She’s incredibly smart. She moves without the ball. She seals you when the ball is in the air. We need more true low-post players in the country. I would love for there to be more to go around like that.”
Boston averaged 16.7 points and 17.7 rebounds in three South Carolina wins over Arkansas last season and she got going early, registering a double-double by halftime and joining an exclusive club.
She became just the third player in the last 20 seasons with at least 25 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots in an SEC game. She joined LSU’s Sylvia Fowles and Tennessee’s Candace Parker.
But she got plenty of help as three other Gamecocks reached double figures, including Brea Beal’s career-high 22. Destanni Henderson added a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists, and 6-2 Victaria Saxton added 10 points.
Arkansas (11-5, 2-5 SEC) was within 62-59 on Ernynn Barnum’s bucket inside with 2 minutes, 41 seconds left in the third quarter. It was all South Carolina from there, putting the game away with a 33-point fourth quarter.
The Gamecocks used a 9-0 spurt to late in the quarter to create some distance and led 71-61 after three quarters. They added another 9-0 fourth-quarter flurry to lead 85-64 with 6:11 left.
Chelsea Dungee led five Razorbacks in double figures with 22. Destiny Slocum added 15, Barnum chipped in 13 off the bench, and Amber Ramirez and Makayla Daniels added 10 apiece.
South Carolina never trailed and jumped out to a 10-point lead early, but Arkansas wouldn’t go away. Daniels’ steal and 3-pointer pulled the Razorbacks within 39-37 with 1:16 left in the second quarter. Destiny Littleton answered with a 3-pointer of her own and the Gamecocks settled for a 42-37 halftime advantage.
The Gamecocks had almost as many offensive rebounds (14) as Arkansas had total rebounds (15) in the first half and enjoyed a 29-15 overall advantage.
Arkansas now has only one game scheduled in the next 13 days. The Razorback travel to No. 22 Georgia on Jan. 25 after an open date on Thursday.
They now have another open date on Jan. 28 because they were scheduled to host Vanderbilt. The Commodores (4-4, 0-3) announced Monday it would discontinue their season because of a combination of covid-19 related circumstances, opt outs and injuries.