South Carolina Basketball: Aliyah Boston dominates to lead Gamecocks back to the Final Four

The Elite Eight couldn’t have asked for a better matchup in Greenville’s final game. With a spot in the Final Four on the line, South Carolina basketball faced its toughest challenge of the Tournament, and the Maryland Terrapins were out for blood, revenge, and a shot at their first national title since 2006.

The best defensive team in the country and the best offensive team of this NCAA Tournament were chosen for the prime time 7:00 tip for a reason. The Gamecocks crushed the Terps in November, but they were without All-American Diamond Miller at the time. In November, the Gamecocks also were not just three victories away from an undefeated season and back-to-back titles.

The game started with a pace that favored Maryland. The two teams were running the floor and taking quick shots, but it was South Carolina who jumped out to an early lead. The 13-7 advantage disappeared in the blink of an eye, though, as Coach Brenda Frese pressed the right buttons with her team. After taking out Miller and point guard Shyanne Sellers, Maryland went on a lightning-quick 7-0 run to take a 14-13 lead.

Maryland’s 5-out system caused problems for the Gamecocks’ defense as Carolina’s shot-blocking and rebounding advantage was somewhat neutralized with the Terrapins spreading them out all over the floor. Another made shot from 3 and two Diamond Miller free throws extended the run to 12-0 and the lead to 19-13. The frenetic race of a basketball game continued, and South Carolina simply could not play at a high level with such an up-and-down pace. Missed layups and bad decisions sunk the Gamecocks in the first period as Maryland led 21-15 at the break.

A very liberally-blown whistle continued in the second quarter as neither team was happy with the fouls called. Aliyah Boston continued her strong play from the first quarter as the senior asserted her dominance to bring her team back to a one-possession game. In the process of recording her 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in the first half, Boston drew Miller’s and Sellers’ second fouls to limit their minutes.

In what was an ugly second period, the Gamecocks and the Terrapins combined for 15 first-half giveaways. The good news for the Gamecocks, however, is that they excel at playing ugly basketball. The fouls started piling up for Maryland, and the depth advantage for South Carolina made itself apparent. Maryland’s bench could not score, and the Gamecocks held them to just 8 points for the whole quarter. To the delight of the pro-Carolina crowd in Greenville, the Gamecocks retook the lead with about four minutes to play in the half. The half ended at 38-30.

The stories of the first half were runs and running. The pace of play in the first half was wild and out of control, and South Carolina was extremely uncomfortable playing at that speed. After an initial run by the Gamecocks, Maryland responded with their quick offense. Abby Meyers’ 14 points and 4 boards led the Terrapins and kept her team afloat as South Carolina responded with a big run to close the half. The run was spearheaded by Aliyah Boston’s dominance and Zia Cooke’s 9-point second quarter.

After coming out of the locker room, the Terps came out swinging as it seemed as if Coach Frese and her team decided they were going to make their move in the third quarter. Diamond Miller aggressively attacked the basket for three scores, and the Maryland offense pushed the ball in transition. The Gamecocks’ counterpunch, though, was a National Player of the Year performance from their best player. Aliyah Boston scored 6 points, grabbed 2 rebounds, and blocked 2 shots in the first three minutes of the half to set the tone.

Because of Boston’s strong play and a whistle that favored the pseudo-home team, the Gamecocks actually extended their 8-point lead to 10 at the midpoint of the third. It felt like 20, though, as Maryland’s haymakers were not enough to swing the fight in their favor. Maryland seemed spent as South Carolina withstood everything thrown their way. When the dust settled at the end of the third quarter, Zia Cooke had another 9-point quarter, and Dawn Staley’s team led 62-50. Their rebounding margin grew to +16 as Boston and Kamilla Cardoso owned the paint.

Bon Secours Wellness Arena was electric at the start of the final frame of play as the Gamecock faithful tasted how close their Gamecocks were to making it to another Final Four. The fourth quarter was not quite as much of a laid back affair as the previous three rounds of the Tournament. However, South Carolina clearly took their foot off the gas. In the cruise of the fourth quarter, Brea Beal scored ten points to keep the Terrapins from sneaking back into the game. The lead grew to 80-63 before Coach Staley took most of the starters out at the final media timeout.

In the end, depth was the key for South Carolina. When Maryland got in foul trouble (Abby Meyers and Faith Masonius actually ended up fouling out), their production withered away. When South Carolina’s bench unit played, players like Kamilla Cardoso, Raven Johnson, and Bree Hall held their own and even extended Gamecock leads. With Maryland scoring a lot down the stretch in garbage time, the final scoring margin dropped to just over ten points, but it wasn’t that close.

Aliyah Boston was the player of the game with 22 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks. Zia Cooke added 18 points (all in the second and third quarters), and Brea Beal had a very nice 16 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Diamond Miller finished with 24 for Maryland, but most of her scoring came when the game was already out of reach.

A trip to Dallas is coming for the Lady Gamecocks who just set a new team record for wins with 36. The Iowa Hawkeyes and the country’s best offensive player Caitlyn Clark await. Friday, March 31st will mark the Gamecocks’ third straight Final Four appearance and, quite possibly, the most highly-anticipated women’s basketball game ever. The game will be played at 9:00 on ESPN and the SECNetwork.