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Watkins, Fulwiley help No. 1 South Carolina beat Auburn 76-54
Women's Basketball  . 

Watkins, Fulwiley help No. 1 South Carolina beat Auburn 76-54

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Ashlyn Watkins had 14 points and 15 rebounds, reserve MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 15 points and No. 1 South Carolina overcame a slow start to beat Auburn 76-54 on Thursday night.

In a matchup between the top offense and the top defense in the Southeastern Conference, the Gamecocks broke through in the second half, going on a 13-2 run late in the third quarter to put away the Tigers.

Kamilla Cardoso added 13 points and six rebounds for South Carolina (20-0, 8-0), which out-rebounded Auburn 48-35.

Auburn’s Honesty Scott-Grayson matched her career high with 31 points, but on one else scored more than six points for the Tigers (14-7, 3-5).

South Carolina has won its first 20 games in back-to-back seasons. The Gamecocks’ lone loss last season came in the Final Four to Iowa.

Auburn bottled up the nation’s lone undefeated team in the first half and trailed 27-22 at the break.

But the Tigers didn’t have enough offensive firepower to stay with the Gamecocks after halftime and finished by shooting 32.2% from the field.

The teams combined to shoot 7 of 26 from 3-point range in a defensive battle that featured 32 turnovers.

Notables:

  • South Carolina hit the 20-win mark for the 13th straight season.
  • After being up just five at the end of the first half, the South Carolina offense turned up the pressure, outscoring Auburn by double digits in each of the remaining two periods and shooting 56.3 percent in the final 20 minutes.
  • Ashlyn Watkins had a standout night, tallying her first career start and putting up a new SEC career high of 14 points, in addition to a career-high of 15 boards en route to her fourth double-double of the season. Six of Watkins’ rebounds came in just the first five minutes of the game.
  • MiLaysia Fulwiley led the team in scoring for the seventh time this season with 15 points, netting six of them on her own 6-0 run in the second quarter to keep the lead with the Gamecocks heading into halftime.
  • Kamilla Cardoso finished with her 18th game in double-figures, putting up nine of her 13 points in the third quarter, making her last four shots on the court.
  • Te-Hina Paopao continued her streak of knocking down a three in every game she’s played, moving the total to 18.

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