No. 1 South Carolina beats Auburn for 30th straight win

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Zia Cooke had 15 points and four assists in 20 minutes to lead No. 1 South Carolina to its 30th straight win, 83-48 over Auburn on Thursday night.

The Gamecocks (24-0, 11-0 Southeastern Conference) dominated from the start in a game sandwiched between a pair of top-5 matchups. They were coming off an 81-77 win over No. 4 UConn and host No. 3 LSU on Sunday.

Aliyah Boston had 10 points and eight rebounds for South Carolina before exiting with 8:54 left to end a string of eight straight double-doubles. Victaria Saxton scored six of the Gamecocks’ first eight points and finished with 10. Kierra Fletcher had nine points and five assists.

South Carolina outrebounded Auburn 50-26 and had 11 players score.

Sydney Shaw tied her career high with 15 points and made 3 of 4 3-pointers to lead the Tigers (13-10, 3-8). Auburn played without its top scorer and rebounder Aicha Coulibaly, who sat out with a leg injury. Mar’shaun Bostic added 10 points.

No. 2 scorer Honesty Scott-Grayson was held to four points on 2-of-11 shooting.

South Carolina doubled up Auburn in the first half, 42-21, after scoring the first eight points of the second quarter.

It didn’t get closer.

The Gamecocks made 34 of 69 shots (49.3%). Auburn was 19-of-61 shooting (31.1%) against the nation’s top scoring defense.

Notables

• South Carolina’s victory over the Tigers marked the 30th straight win for the Gamecocks, setting a new program record dating back to March 18, 2022, NCAA Tournament first round win.
• The Gamecocks’ 83-48 victory was their 13th game this season decided by 30 or more points.
• South Carolina continued its presence in the paint, posting 52 points inside compared to the Tigers’ 48 total points.
• Eleven Gamecocks scored in the game, with three finishing in double-digits.
• Zia Cooke led the way with her 19th game of the season scoring in double figures. Eight of her 15 points came in the third quarter, including a three to give the Gamecocks a 25-point lead.
• Victaria Saxton finished with 10 points for the fourth time this season, scoring six of South Carolina’s first eight and going a perfect 4-of-4 at the free throw line.
• Aliyah Boston posted her 10th consecutive game with at least 10 points, adding four to a 13-5 run by the Gamecocks to finish the second quarter.
• Kierra Fletcher ended with an SEC career -high nine points highlighted by a three in the third quarter, in addition to a team-high five assists.