South Carolina Basketball: Gamecocks Cruise to SEC Tournament Semifinals After Sticking the Pigs

As expected, the South Carolina basketball team had no trouble with the Arkansas Razorbacks during the Gamecocks’ first game of the 2023 SEC Tournament. Dawn Staley’s squad showed some rust early that set in during the four-day layoff between games, but talent reigned supreme in Greenville, South Carolina for the SEC Tournament quarterfinal matchup.

Early on, despite Arkansas’ best effort and a less-than-stellar showing from the Gamecocks, the number-1 team in the country still maintained a lead the whole way after initially falling behind 2-0. At the end of the first, South Carolina led 17-24. Arkansas had a big start to the second quarter that saw them score 7 quick points, but the Gamecocks’ size began to wear down the Hogs.

The rebounding numbers were not as lopsided as the first time these two teams played (74-17), but the Gamecocks owned the glass anyway. Seniors Aliyah Boston, Kierra Fletcher, and Victaria Saxton were excellent in the first half, combining for 31 points on 12-17 shooting, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists; in contrast, Arkansas’ entire team had 30 points on 11-33 shooting, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists. Despite a 4-19 shooting slump during part of the first half, the defensive and rebounding dominance of Dawn Staley’s team pushed the lead to 45-30.

To start the third quarter, Victaria Saxton and Aliyah Boston picked up right where they left off at the end of the first half. Boston had two quick blocks, and Saxton made her second and-one of the game even through enough contact that her shoe came off in the process. Boston’s stellar play put her firmly on “triple-double watch” as she had 9 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks after just two minutes of play had gone by in the second half.

Saylor Poffenbarger and Samara Spencer were about the only good things going for the Razorbacks most of the game. The freshman Poffenbarger had 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists at the end of the third quarter, and Spencer, a sophomore, put in 16 points of her own.

After a bad stretch of offense from the white-clad Gamecocks, Arkansas put together a run at the end of the period that brought the scoring margin back down to 12, but the Gamecocks scored three buckets in the final minute to end the third at a 17-17 tie. Heading into the final period, Carolina led by fifteen 62-47.

The fourth quarter saw a lot of reserves see SEC Tournament action. Laeticia Amihere played very aggressively, something Dawn Staley and her coaching staff hope translates well to future tournament games. She finished with an impressive 16 points and 5 rebounds in limited action. Raven Johnson, Bree Hall, and Kamilla Cardoso had some good moments off the bench, as well.

For the game, South Carolina got great overall performances from Boston (11 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks), Saxton (19 points), and Fletcher (12 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists). Despite not playing a second of the fourth quarter, Boston notched her 79th career double-double. Wing Brea Beal had a sneaky good game as she scored 6 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists. She played tremendous defense all game long, partnering with Boston to lead the Gamecocks in holding Arkansas to 32.8% shooting for the game.

Poffenbarger finished with 22 points for Arkansas, while Erynn Barnum, the Hogs’ best post player, couldn’t get anything to go her way. She finished 2-14 from the field, and only grabbed one board. Her struggles extended to the defensive end, too, as the Gamecocks scored 60 points in the paint for the game.

All in all, the Gamecocks dominated without playing their best game. They doubled up the Hogs on the glass, 51-26, and they had 5 players in double figures in the scoring column. Perhaps most impressively (and most fear-inducting for the rest of the league), South Carolina drastically grew their lead with reserves in the game.

The Gamecocks will play again tomorrow on ESPNU and the ESPN App. The game will be at 4:30, and Carolina will take on the winner of Ole Miss and Texas A&M.