Cooke Leads No. 1 Gamecocks To 66-59 Win Over No. 8 Terps

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By PETE IACOBELLIDecember 12, 2021 astatine 5:36 pm

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Zia Cooke scored 20 points, including the go-ahead layup with 5:13 to play, arsenic No. 1 South Carolina outlasted No. 8 Maryland 66-59 connected Sunday for its 4th triumph implicit a top-10 hostile this season.

Aliyah Boston added 16 points, 16 rebounds and 7 blocked shots for the Gamecocks, who improved to 10-0 for the archetypal clip successful six seasons.

Not that it came easy against Maryland (9-3). The Terrapins overcame a 53-47 shortage successful the 4th fourth with 8 consecutive points closed by Faith Masonius’ basket.

That’s erstwhile Cooke turned things around, tying the crippled with a brace of foul shots. On the adjacent possession, Cooke stole the shot from Ashley Owusu and streaked retired for the layup.

The Terrapins closed wrong 61-59 connected Angel Reese’s three-point play with 2:04 remaining, but South Carolina held them scoreless the remainder of the way.

Angel Reese had 20 points to pb the Terrapins, who were seeking their archetypal triumph implicit a No. 1 squad since topping North Carolina successful 2006.

Cooke and Boston, juniors who were portion of South Carolina’s No. 1-ranked recruiting people 3 seasons ago, some went implicit the 1,000-point people successful their careers.

Brea Beal had 10 rebounds and Laeticia Amihere had 8 arsenic South Carolina outrebounded the Terrapins 61-34. The Gamecocks besides posted 15 blocks to Maryland’s four.

Maryland entered ninth successful the state successful points scored portion the Gamecocks are 12th nationally successful scoring defense. It was defence front-and-center aboriginal connected arsenic some teams struggled to find immoderate violative rhythm.

The teams were a combined 10-of-34 shooting the archetypal 10 minutes. The Terrapins packed the mediate to bounds Boston’s question adjacent the basket, portion South Carolina’s tallness vantage had it blocking 7 shots successful the opening period.

South Carolina took its archetypal pb connected LeLe Grissett’s bucket. After Katie Benzan’s 3-pointer enactment Maryland backmost successful front, Cooke deed a long-range handbasket to commencement a 10-2 run.

Cooke added a brace of foul shots and a jumper successful the last infinitesimal arsenic South Carolina led 34-30 astatine the half.

THE BIG PICTURE

Maryland: The Terrapins could not get past South Carolina’s tallness and length. Owusu, their constituent defender who was starring the squad astatine 17.9 points a game, managed 11 connected 3-of-17 shooting. Maryland astir apt won’t look galore challenges similar South Carolina until the NCAA Tournament.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks prevailed successful a choky game, thing that’s been antithetic this season. They bushed top-10 opponents North Carolina State, Oregon and UConn by an mean of 14 points.

UP NEXT

Maryland faces Coppin State connected Dec. 21.

South Carolina plays astatine No. 19 Duke connected Wednesday night.

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