Harris Joins 1,000 Point Club as Gamecocks Roll

Box Score

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina senior Tyasha Harris joined the 1,000-point club as the No. 5/6 South Carolina Gamecocks (5-0) rolled past USC Upstate (3-3) 112-32 on Thursday at Colonial Life Arena. Six Gamecocks finished in double figures as the 112 points scored by the team was a new high under head coach Dawn Staley.  
 
Harris poured in 18 points, tied for the game high, while pulling down seven rounds, dishing out six assists and tallying two steals. Freshman Aliyah Boston also scored 18 points and notched 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season, while also blocking three shots. Sophomore Destanni Henderson came off the bench to tally 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Sophomore Victoria Saxton scored 14 points off the bench to go along with her eight rebounds and a pair of steals. Senior Mikiah Herbert Harrigan made her presence felt with 13 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two assists. Redshirt-freshman Laeticia Amihere scored a career-high 10 points and tied her career best six rebounds.
 
After a pair of free throws for Harris and a Boston layup gave the Gamecocks an early 4-0 lead, the Spartans got on the board with two free throws from Brianna Lewis. Carolina threw the clamps on after that with Herbert Harrigan rattling off three quick points, Boston sinking a pair of jumpers, freshman Brea Beal tickling the twine with a jumper, followed by a steal and a layup on the possession. The Gamecocks kept the run going with Saxton notching her first points of the night on a layup, followed by Harris driving to the hoop. The defense stood tall in the opening period, not allowing USC Upstate to convert a field goal until the 1:13 mark of the quarter as the Garnet and Black took a 33-9 lead into the second.
 
Carolina kept the pressure up in the second, opening the quarter with buckets from Herbert Harrigan, Henderson and Amihere to take a 40-9 lead. The Spartans showed some fight with four quick points from Lewis, but Boston stopped any momentum Upstate was mustering with a pair of jumpers and a free throw. Michaela Gibbons tried to keep the Spartans’ scoring going with a 3-pointer with five minutes to go, but the Gamecocks closed the half on a 19-2 run, punctuated by a Harris 3-pointer with three seconds left on the clock to take a 64-18 lead into the break.
 
The Garnet and Black put the pedal to the metal in the third, opening the quarter with a 19-1 run, including the layup where Harris joined the 1,000-point club. Much like the first half, it was all Gamecocks in the second as Carolina cruised to a 112-32 win, giving Staley a new record with an 80-point win.
 
GAMECHANGER
Defense was the name of the game for the Gamecocks, despite scoring 112 points on their own. The Spartans scored just nine points in the opening quarter, shooting just 18.8 percent from the field in the opening quarter.
 
KEY STAT
The Gamecocks continued their streak of throttling opponents, holding the Spartans to a .159 shooting percentage tonight, the second lowest total under coach Staley. 
 
NOTABLES

• The 112 points scored tonight are the most for any Gamecock team under Staley, passing the old record of 111 scored against Savannah State on Dec. 14, 2014.
• The team’s 44 made field goals is also a new high for the Gamecocks under Staley, passing the old mark of 39 from three different games.
• Tyasha Harris became just the fourth Gamecock with over 1,000 points and 500 assists in their career. The senior has 1,001 points and 538 assists.
• Aliyah Boston continued her stellar offensive output with 18 points tonight. The freshman has cracked double figures in all five games of her career.
• The .159 shooting percentage for USC Upstate is the second lowest allowed by the Gamecocks under Staley.
• Laeticia Amihere notched a new career high with 10 points.

 
UP NEXT
The Gamecocks (5-0) are set for a clash with Clemson (2-3). Carolina heads upstate for the showdown on Sunday with a 2 p.m. start on the ACC Network.