Boston finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds in 20 minutes.
No. 1 Gamecocks Tally 101-31 Win in Season Opener Over ETSU
COLUMBIA, SC (AP) – Zia Cooke scored 17 points, Aliyah Boston had the 61st double-double of her career and defending national champion No. 1 South Carolina opened with a dominating 101-31 victory over East Tennessee State on Monday night.
Then they went about their goal of a second straight title by blowing past East Tennessee State with overwhelming defense and an inside game the much smaller Buccaneers couldn’t match.
3️⃣ 3️⃣ 3️⃣@QueenBrea_1 puts up the first three of the season and we’re officially off against ETSU‼️ pic.twitter.com/Rne7IT2j0x
— South Carolina Women’s Basketball (@GamecockWBB) November 8, 2022
South Carolina held its opponent to 4-of-28 shooting in the first two quarters, ETSU missing 15 straight shots during one stretch.
.@HollywoodRaven with the 𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕒𝕝 & 𝕤𝕔𝕠𝕣𝕖!! 🔥 Vibes are high.
END 1Q: South Carolina 29, ETSU 6 pic.twitter.com/wkRpWw1ZuQ
— South Carolina Women’s Basketball (@GamecockWBB) November 8, 2022
The Gamecocks closed the first quarter on a 24-1 run to lead 29-6, then built the lead to 55-12 at the break.
Boston, choosing a aqua tint for her season-opening hairdo, was as impossible to handle as she was during last year’s championship run. The 6-foot-5 senior, who set a Southeastern Conference mark with 27 consecutive double doubles last, had her third in a row in new streak that began in last April’s two Final Four wins.
Cooke, along with Boston part of the Gamecocks’ No. 1 recruiting class in 2019, had her highest point total in 13 games, dating back to 20 scored in a win over Auburn last February.
Sania Feagin had 15 points off the bench as part of six Gamecocks in double figures.
Laeticia Amihere’s layup pushed South Carolina past the century mark for the first time since a 104-82 victory over Arkansas in January 2021.
East Tennessee’s Jiselle Thomas, a first-year transfer from Temple, led East Tennessee with seven points on 2-of-20 shooting.
BIG PICTURE
East Tennessee: The Buccaneers were coming off a 6-22 season, have nine newcomers on their roster of 14 and are led by first-year coach Brenda Mock Brown. There was little chance the fill-in program would hang long with the defending national champions.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks has fan-pleasing romp in their opener. They’ll face a bigger test later this week at No. 17 Maryland, which is itching to get some payback for their 66-59 near miss — the Terps led 55-53 with five minutes to go — before South Carolina’s rally.
