Aliyah Boston and the South Carolina Gamecocks didn’t have their best performance as a collective unit on Sunday afternoon. Still, in a performance reminiscent of years past, the Gamecocks left Alabama with their 27th straight win of last season, a new program record.
The game was in some ways a unique opportunity for the South Carolina bench to showcase their talents and how they are able to close the gap when the starting lineup goes through a rare struggling outing.
Everyone else on the South Carolina starting lineup combined for 14 points outside of Boston. When the Gamecocks let their rotary players hit the floor, Bree Hall and Raven Johnson rose to the occasion. Hall posted a career-high 18 points, and with Alabama grabbing the paint, Bree got ample opportunities from behind the arc and managed to convert 50 percent of her attempts.
Johnson, who has gradually grown into her role on the team this season, may not have had the scoring prowess of a Bree Hall. Still, she deserves kudos for orchestrating the offense and defending Alabama’s guards, which often stymied any momentum the tide was building. Speaking of the Tide, you have to give credit to Alabama for their game plan going into this competition. Based on the stats coming in, almost everyone would have assumed Alabama would have based their offense on their three-point shooting skills.
Instead, the tide spread the bottom to consistently attack open lanes, challenge Carolina’s guards with their positioning, and test the Gamecocks’ weak rotations. While Alabama was able to hit several mini-runs to solidify the Gamecocks’ lead, South Carolina was able to react each time as their switches got crisper as the game progressed. The Gamecocks still grabbed 11 more rebounds than the Crimson Tide.
Despite being well tested, the Gamecocks proved on Sunday that their depth and overall size on the front court, even when underperforming, was still enough to win a war of attrition against their opponent. South Carolina will have the floor Thursday night when they play their second matchup of the season against the Kentucky Wildcats, this time on their home ground.
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