Saxton has 20 points, No. 5 South Carolina routs Vandy

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Victaria Saxton scored 20 points and No. 5 South Carolina routed Vanderbilt 106-43 on Thursday night to remain perfect in the Southeastern Conference.

The Gamecocks (9-1, 4-0) have won 20 straight after going undefeated in league play last season, and they are four wins away from their longest SEC winning streak. South Carolina won 24 straight between Jan. 3, 2016, and Jan. 26. 2017.

Brea Beal also scored 17 points, Destanni Henderson added 12, and Laeticia Amihere had 11. Preseason All-American Aliyah Boston had seven points and 10 rebounds in the Gamecocks’ second-highest scoring game this season.

South Carolina also won its sixth straight overall and 13th consecutive game in this series, improving to 14-2 with Dawn Staley as coach.

Koi Love led Vanderbilt (4-3, 0-2) with 18 points.

The Gamecocks never trailed as Boston opened the scoring with a jumper. They quickly pushed their lead to double digits thanks to a 12-2 run and simply dominated again at Memorial Gym. They led 30-13 after the first quarter and 49-13 at halftime.

The Commodores struggled to score with their worst drought starting late in the first quarter after Kyndall Golden’s layup with 2:27 pulled Vandy within 27-13. They missed all 16 shots in the second quarter.

Yaubryon Chambers finally scored on a layup 9:37 into the third quarter to break Vanderbilt’s drought. South Carolina still led 82-27 at the end of the third.

GAMECHANGER
On a night where all 11 players scored, South Carolina’s depth showed early in the game with the team’s first five buckets coming from each of the five starters. 
 
KEY STAT 
The Gamecocks kept the glass clean yet again, outrebounding Vanderbilt 60-28, including a 20-9 edge on the offensive glass that led to a 20-2 advantage in second-chance points. 

NOTABLES 

• The Gamecocks’ 106 points is the highest total in an SEC game in program history, topping the 102 scored in a win at Alabama on Jan. 8, 2015. It’s the third-highest point total for any of Staley’s Carolina teams. 
• The 63-point margin of victory is the largest for any win over an SEC opponent in team history, and the fifth largest of any game in the Staley era. 
• South Carolina held Vanderbilt scoreless in the second quarter, just the second time the Garnet and Black have kept an opponent from scoring for an entire quarter in program history (at Ole Miss 1/30/20)
• Junior Victaria Saxton locked in early, scoring 13 points in the first half on her way to a career-best 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting. Saxton also pulled down a pair of rebounds, dished out one assist, blocked a shot and tallied a steal in a game where she made her impact felt all over the court.   
• Sophomore Brea Beal came on strong in the first half, scoring 10 of her new career-high 17 points before the break. Beal showed off her range with a trio of makes from beyond of arc, tying her career high.    
• Junior Destanni Henderson continues to see her game flourish with her third straight game in double figures, scoring 12 tonight, but truly shining when it comes to facilitating as she dished out nine assists, tying her career high. 

UP NEXT 
The No. 5/4 Gamecocks (9-1, 4-0 SEC) return to Columbia for a heavyweight clash with the No. 17/16 Arkansas Razorbacks (11-4, 2-3 SEC) on Mon., Jan. 18. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Colonial Life Arena, and the game airs live on ESPN2. 
 

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