South Carolina women's basketball: Aliyah Boston injured as Gamecocks beat Hampton
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South Carolina took care of Hampton with an 85-38 win, but received a scare when Aliyah Boston left the game with an injury.
With 49 seconds left in the second quarter, Boston cut through the lane. She caught a pass from Kamilla Cardoso but was fouled by Lauren VanArsdale. Boston fell and immediately grabbed for her right ankle. She remained down for a minute or two before getting up to shoot her free throws.
Boston missed both and was able to run back and play defense but was immediately subbed out. She went straight to the locker room and did not return to the bench until late in the third quarter, wearing a boot on her right foot. She stood in the team huddle and walked around the court after the game, smiling and taking pictures with fans.
Dawn Staley said Boston’s status is “questionable.”
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“She’s going to get it looked at tomorrow and then we’ll get some feedback from our doctor,” she said. “Our doctor wasn’t too concerned, but we just wanted to be on the safe side.”
Boston finished with six points, four rebounds, and two blocks.
Boston’s injury seemed to rattle the Gamecocks, who gave up a 6-0 run to start the third quarter. Dawn Staley opted for a line change, putting in the younger lineup of Raven Johnson, Bree Hall, Talaysia Cooper, Ashlyn Watkins, and Kamilla Cardoso.
“I thought we were lethargic,” Staley said. “I thought we played uninspired with low energy and it was just bad basketball. I let it go probably a little bit longer then I wanted to, but I wanted to see if they would play themselves out of it, and they just couldn’t clean it up.”
That group sparked a 22-8 run that put South Carolina firmly back in control. Watkins and and Hall led the Gamecocks with 14 points each (a career-high for Hall). Watkins added six rebounds and Hall had five . Cardoso finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds, one away from her career-high.
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“I think it’s magical to have a team like that, that you can call on anybody,” Laeticia Amihere said. “Our freshmen are doing a great job. Ash – she almost got a double-double. It’s effortless for her. (Talaysia Cooper) has been doing a great job. We’re kind of short on point guards right now and she’s picking up that for the last group.”
Cooper finished with nine points, seven rebounds, and two assists. South Carolina’s bench outscored the starters 65-20.
Hampton took a 2-0 lead to start the game, and then didn’t score for nearly nine minutes as South Carolina went on a 20-0 run and led 22-4 after the first quarter. The Pirates played well in the second quarter and start of the third before running out of gas against the Gamecocks’ depth.
“I thought we were nervous,” said Hampton coach David Six. “You get out there on that stage and the lights hit you and now you can’t remember the words to the Star Spangled Banner. I thought that was tough for us.”
Notes:
Brett (Shelbretta) Ball did color commentary for the game. She signed with the Gamecocks in 2011 but was declared medically ineligible and never played. She is currently working on her Ph.D. … Staley congratulated Shane Beamer and the football team for beating Clemson. “That bandwagon – the wheels are screeching because there are a lot of people on it.” She made her pitch for the Gamecocks to play in the Citrus Bowl. “I like fruit.” … All thirteen Gamecocks scored. … Aliyah Boston braids report: Boston continued with the same color she has had all season, purple braids with electric blue tips. … Dawn Staley fit report: Staley wore a white “Phree BG” hoodie. … Announced attendance was 11,659. … South Carolina’s next game is Tuesday night against UCLA.
