No. 2 South Carolina recovers to beat No. 17 Wildcats

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Zia Cooke scored 21 points and No. 2 South Carolina got back on track after its first Southeastern Conference loss in two seasons with a 76-55 victory over No. 17 Kentucky on Sunday.

The Gamecocks (18-3, 13-1 SEC) had won 31 straight over league opponents before blowing a double-digit, second-half lead at No. 21 Tennessee this past Thursday night.

Cooke and South Carolina's stingy defense ensured it wouldn't be two straight defeats. The Gamecocks held Rhyne Howard to 12 points on 2-of-11 shooting as senior LeLe Grissett shadowed the Kentucky star much of the game.

Point guard Destanni Henderson added 14 points as the Gamecocks' backcourt took control in a game where standout center Aliyah Boston finished with a season-low four points, nine fewer than her average coming in.

South Carolina broke out quickly in the second half as Grissett and Henderson had baskets to open a 38-30 lead.

A time out by Kentucky (15-6, 8-5) less than a minute in didn't stop the Gamecocks' charge and when Cooke drove to the hoop for a layup, got fouled and hit the free throw, they were up 43-32 and cruising to their fourth straight over the Wildcats.

Cooke said losing at Tennessee after lead 37-21 was a “bummer" because of how hard they worked. “But we came together, we practiced hard and knew we'd come out victorious if we stuck with the game plan.”

Kentucky entered pointing to this one. After all, the Wildcats held a nine-point lead at home on South Carolina last month before falling 75-70.

But they couldn't get past South Carolina's relentless defensive pressure. The Wildcats had just eight field goals and Howard was scoreless over the first 17 minutes as they fell behind 31-21.

Howard, however, broke free with a pair of 3-pointers to lead a 9-2 Kentucky burst down the stretch and trailed just 34-30 at the half.

South Carolina blunted any hopes of Kentucky rally with their fast start to the third quarter. The Gamecocks held Howard to just six foul shots in the final 20 minutes as she missed all six of her field goal tries after halftime.

Grissett said Howard was the most important person on the court for Kentucky and the Gamecocks made sure to make it difficult on her. “Just lock in and focus what's in front of us,” she said.

Grissett, the team's lone senior honored before tipoff, had 13 points and Laeticia Amihere had 12 points and 12 rebounds for her third double-double this season.

Kentucky coach Kyra Elzy didn't think Howard was off her game, instead crediting South Carolina with defensing her side of the floor to take away open shots. Elzy said the loss was as much her team's struggles to rebound.

“We did not have the toughness we needed to rebound,” she said.

No. 5 Texas A&M 66,

Ole Miss, 55

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Kayla Wells had 18 points and eight rebounds and No. 5 Texas A&M rode a dominant fourth quarter to a 66-55 victory over Mississippi on Sunday.

The Aggies (20-1, 11-1 Southeastern Conference) won their eighth straight game, but the Rebels (9-9, 3-11) kept it competitive into the fourth, trailing just 44-39. Then it was all Texas A&M.

Already off to the program's best start through 20 games, the Aggies secured their 16th consecutive season with at least 20 wins.

Wells only shot 5 of 16 from the floor but made 7 of 8 free throws. Aaliyah Wilson had a huge all-around game. Wilson had 10 points, seven rebounds, six assists and six steals.

Jordan Nixon scored nine of her 11 points in the fourth quarter when Texas A&M led by as many as 15.

Ciera Johnson only scored five points but the last one hit the career 1,000-point milestone.

Shakira Austin got her fifth straight double double to lead Ole Miss. She had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Taylor Smith had 12 points on 3of-6 3-pointers. The rest of the team made 1 of 9 attempts from 3-point range. Madison Scott finished with 10 points.

Zaay Green and Jordan Nixon helped turn it into a comfortable win.

Green hit the Aggies' first three baskets of the fourth — and her first three in the game. Then Nixon hit three straight layups and a free throw in a quick nine-point Texas A&M flurry, over a span of just 1:49.

Ciera Johnson's putback with 2 seconds left in the third quarter gave Texas A&M a 44-39 lead after the Rebels had erased most of a 10-point deficit.

The momentum carried over into the fourth.