Henderson, No. 1 South Carolina rally past No. 2 Stanford 65-61

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – No. 1 South Carolina added another milestone to what’s shaping up as a truly special season – the biggest comeback in program history.

The Gamecocks rallied from 18 points down to beat defending national champion Stanford 65-61 and keep their perfect, 12-0 start alive.

Aliyah Boston had 18 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:05 left for South Carolina’s second victory this season over a No. 2 team and fifth over a Top-10 opponent.

”It shows our power,” Destanni Henderson, who scored 17 points and returned to the starting lineup after missing the past three games due to injury. ”It’s hard to compete with us.”

Especially in the second half when the speedy Henderson and tall, athletic Boston got going. Still down 45-28 when Hannah Jump nailed a 3-pointer to start the third quarter, the Gamecocks took off on a 22-4 burst that put them ahead 50-49 entering the final period.

Boston’s final basket proved decisive and was a bit of redemption after she missed a short one in the final seconds of Stanford’s 66-65 victory over the Gamecocks in the national semifinals.

Boston overcame a slow start, adding five blocks and dominating down low in the second half. It was her fifth straight double-double and 36th of her career.

”Aliyah is Aliyah,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. ”This is what she’s been doing.”

And beating all comers is what the Gamecocks have done in the first third of their season. They’ve notched wins over North Carolina State, Oregon, UConn and Maryland before toppling Stanford.

Stanford (8-3) had a chance to go in front, but Cameron Brink’s jumper came off the rim and into the capable hands of Boston.

Boston hit a foul shot and Destiny Littleton followed with two more with 0.8 seconds left to close out the win.

It was a complete reversal for the Cardinal, who seemed to pull off a Southern double after winning at No. 7 Tennessee last weekend.

Stanford coach Tara Vanderveer believes the trip will prove beneficial to her team, no matter the disappointment in this one.

”We’ll get better,” she said. ”It’s good this way now instead of this being your NCAA (tournament) game and your done. We can learn and get better.”

Henderson added seven assists and seven steals.

Brink, Stanford’s leading scorer at 14.2 points a game coming in, was held in check by the Gamecocks and finished with three points on 1-of-7 shooting.

Lexie Hull led Stanford with 17 points, just three of those coming in the final three quarters.

South Carolina had been waiting for this one since the last Final Four, Brea Beal and Boston missing two short cracks at the basket.

But it was Stanford who came out quickly. Lexie Hull scored 14 points on a pair of 3-pointers in the opening quarter and the Cardinal kept up the barrage from outside.

Hull’s sister Lacie started the second period with a 3-pointer. Jump and Anna Wilson added long-range baskets. By the time Haley Jones got free for a layup, Stanford was up 34-16 in front of a stunned, mostly full house of South Carolina fans.

Stanford had the perfect formula for defeating South Carolina: Make most of your shots and push Boston away from the basket.

South Carolina’s pressure took its toll on Stanford, who committed 20 turnovers, 12 of those in the final two periods.

NOTABLE

• South Carolina erased an 18-point deficit, the largest overcome in a win in program history.
• Destanni Henderson returned after missing the previous three games with an injury and was simply electric. The senior guard played 31 minutes and was vital in the team’s second-half rally, with 13 points, five assists and five steals in the final two quarters.
• South Carolina fought back in the third quarter with its perimeter defense. The Gamecocks picked up six steals in the period – five from Henderson alone – and scored 12 points off Stanford’s turnovers.
• While Henderson ignited the home crowd out on the perimeter, Victaria Saxton shined bright down low in the third. The senior post led the team with seven points and added three offensive rebounds in the quarter. Just two games removed from setting a career high for offensive rebounds, Saxton broke that high again with eight Tuesday night to give her 21 total over the last three games.
• After six more turnovers in the fourth from Stanford, the final tally for the visitors was 20. That ties a season high for turnovers forced by South Carolina, previously set vs. No. 9/9 Oregon on Nov. 21. Of those 20 turnovers, 13 were steals, a season high. Henderson led that effort with seven swipes of her own, a career best for the senior.
• Conversely, South Carolina committed just seven turnovers for the game. The previous low this season was 13. That turnover margin was the deciding factor, as the Gamecocks had a 26-6 advantage in points scored off turnovers, helping erase the once-18-point lead for the Cardinal.
• Aliyah Boston led the team in scoring (18) and rebounds (11) for the night, her fifth game in a row with a double-double. Her defense was key in the second half, as she totaled four blocks, seven rebounds and two steals in the final 20 minutes.
• Destiny Littleton played 18 of the final 20 minutes of the game and was a vital piece on both ends of the court. She hit a big 3-pointer in the third quarter as part of a 10-0 run to trim the deficit to single digits, then sank three free throws in the final 12 seconds of the game to seal the win. On top of that, she helped lock down Stanford’s perimeter shooters on defense. The Cardinal attempted just four 3-pointers in the second half and made just one, following a first half where they made 6-of-11 from deep.
• The Gamecocks shot 12-of-42 in the first half (28.6), their lowest percentage to open a game so far this season. The previous low was 31.8 percent against Clemson on Nov. 17.
• This is South Carolina’s second win in the all-time series with Stanford, the last coming in the 2017 Final Four.

QUOTABLE

 
UP NEXT
The team has a nine-day gap before its next game, taking time for the Christmas break before starting SEC play. First up in conference action is a road matchup with Missouri on Dec. 30. The Tigers are currently 10-2 for the season and have not lost at home in seven games. South Carolina is on a four-game win streak in the series, dating back to 2018.