South Carolina beats Ole Miss to reach tournament title game

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Coach Dawn Staley nodded her head as reserve Laeticia Amihere talked about No. 1 South Carolina's versatility.

The undefeated Gamecocks are certainly talented with two-time SEC player of the year Aliyah Boston and leading scorer Zia Cooke. They're also deep with players like Victaria Saxton and Amihere filling major roles, helping South Carolina reach the conference tournament final for the eighth time in nine seasons.

“I think our bench is a great asset to our team,” said Amihere, who scored a game-high 17 points in an 80-51 win over Ole Miss in the SEC semifinals on Saturday.

Boston posted her 80th career doubledouble with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Cooke had 14 points and Brea Beal, another starter, 13 for Gamecocks (31-0) who won their 37th straight game.

They will take on Tennessee for the conference championship today.

South Carolina needed a great escape at Ole Miss two weeks ago, trailing late before forcing overtime and keeping its perfect season intact with a 64-57 victory.

The Gamecocks took the drama out of this one early with Cooke and Boston getting four points apiece and Beal adding a three-point play for a 13-4 lead less than seven minutes in. They stretched the lead to 15 points by halftime and were ahead by at least 20 points much of the final two quarters.

“When they're playing like that, trust me, they're hard to beat,” Mississippi coach Yolett Mcphee-mccuin said.

It was the second straight year Mississippi's tournament was ended in the semifinals by the Gamecocks.

Boston, who surpassed Sheila Foster's school career double-double mark earlier this season, broke Foster's career rebounding record of 1,427 that stood for more than four decades. Boston now has 1,432 in her four seasons.

South Carolina will look for its seventh tournament crown since 2015, along with a bit of payback since its last loss came in the final of this event a year ago to Kentucky.

South Carolina's defense, third in Division I in holding opponents to 50.9 points a game, was on full display. The Rebels made just two of their first 13 shots and had eight of their attempts blocked the first 20 minutes.

Mississippi could not find an answer and matched its fewest points in a game this season.

Leading scorer Angel Baker, averaging 15.3 points coming in, was held to nine on 4-of-15 shooting. Madison Scott led the Rebels with 15 points,

Kamilla Cardoso also had a doubledouble with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Cooke finished with 14 points and Beal 13 for the Gamecocks.

Staley has had zero issues from her group about playing time, all focusing on the ultimate goal of winning. “I don't think any decision to play them or not to play them, hurts their confidence,” she said. “That's because we communicate extremely well.”