Boston on Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina women’s basketball sophomore Aliyah Boston is one of 15 entries in the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today. The 6-foot-5 forward was a finalist for the award in 2020.
Boston is eighth in the nation with an SEC-best 3.15 blocked shots per game this season with an astounding 4.9 blocks per SEC game and 4.3 against ranked opponents. She has blocked at least five shots in a game three times in her last five outings, including her 10-block outing against #22/23 Georgia as part of her second career triple-double. Boston’s defensive presence goes beyond blocked shots as she ranks 14th in the SEC in steals per league game (1.7).
In addition to the traditional defensive stats, Boston ranks 15th in the country in rebounds per game (11.3). She averages a double-double on the season (14.8 ppg/11.3 rpg), in SEC games (17.7 ppg/12.7 rpg) and against ranked opponents (15.7 ppg/11.3 rpg). She has pulled down double-digit rebounds in all seven SEC games this season and her seven double-doubles ranks 19th in the nation.
The No. 4/3 Gamecocks current sit atop the SEC standings with a 7-0 league record and have won 23 straight SEC regular-season games dating back to last season. South Carolina is back in action on Thu., Jan. 28, at No. 21/19 Mississippi State with a 7 p.m. tipoff on ESPN.
Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWBB) for the most up-to-date information on the women’s basketball season.
2021 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Veronica Burton, Northwestern
Kate Cain, Nebraska
Charli Collier, Texas
Elissa Cunane, NC State
Arella Guirantes, Rutgers
Sara Hamson, BYU
N’dea Jones, Texas A&M
Natasha Mack, Oklahoma State
Aari McDonald, Arizona
Nancy Mulkey, Rice
Olivia Nelson-Ododa, UConn
Chastity Patterson, Kentucky
DiDi Richards, Baylor
Sage Stobbart, UC Davis
Boston is eighth in the nation with an SEC-best 3.15 blocked shots per game this season with an astounding 4.9 blocks per SEC game and 4.3 against ranked opponents. She has blocked at least five shots in a game three times in her last five outings, including her 10-block outing against #22/23 Georgia as part of her second career triple-double. Boston’s defensive presence goes beyond blocked shots as she ranks 14th in the SEC in steals per league game (1.7).
In addition to the traditional defensive stats, Boston ranks 15th in the country in rebounds per game (11.3). She averages a double-double on the season (14.8 ppg/11.3 rpg), in SEC games (17.7 ppg/12.7 rpg) and against ranked opponents (15.7 ppg/11.3 rpg). She has pulled down double-digit rebounds in all seven SEC games this season and her seven double-doubles ranks 19th in the nation.
The No. 4/3 Gamecocks current sit atop the SEC standings with a 7-0 league record and have won 23 straight SEC regular-season games dating back to last season. South Carolina is back in action on Thu., Jan. 28, at No. 21/19 Mississippi State with a 7 p.m. tipoff on ESPN.
Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWBB) for the most up-to-date information on the women’s basketball season.
2021 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Veronica Burton, Northwestern
Kate Cain, Nebraska
Charli Collier, Texas
Elissa Cunane, NC State
Arella Guirantes, Rutgers
Sara Hamson, BYU
N’dea Jones, Texas A&M
Natasha Mack, Oklahoma State
Aari McDonald, Arizona
Nancy Mulkey, Rice
Olivia Nelson-Ododa, UConn
Chastity Patterson, Kentucky
DiDi Richards, Baylor
Sage Stobbart, UC Davis
