USC junior forward Aliyah Boston just can’t miss. After roasting North Carolina A&T on Monday for 29 points on 13-of-13 shooting from the field, the native of the U.S. Virgin Islands had another near perfect outing on Friday. Boston did miss two shots in a 9-of-11 performance to power the Gamecocks past Kansas State 65-44 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge at Colonial Life Arena. In addition to scoring a game-high 21 points, Boston also grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked four shots to help #1–USC improve to 9-0 on the season.
As good as Boston was offensively, it was USC’s smothering defense that once again fueled the rout. Holding a 15-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Gamecocks stuffed the Wildcats in the second period, giving up just five points to capture a 30-17 advantage at the break. As a matter of fact, KSU (7-2) went the final six minutes of the opening half without scoring. Carolina’s defensive pressure certainly impressed K-State head coach Jeff Mittie.
“I thought from the film, this was the best defensive team I’ve seen in the past 10 years,” Mittie confessed in the postgame press conference. Adding that the Gamecocks didn’t appear to miss a beat without second leading scorer Destanni Henderson in the lineup. “When that’s your dropoff (with Laeticia Amihere at PG), that’s a helluva deal.”
Speaking of Henderson, USC head coach Dawn Staley says the senior guard remains day-to-day with what is being classified as a left leg injury. The Gamecocks host #8–Maryland on December 12th in the women’s “Jimmy V Classic”.
USC HC Dawn Staley — Postgame Press Conference
