South Carolina (13-1, 1-1) evened its conference record with an 80-68 win over Mississippi State (9-4, 0-1).

In a hastily scheduled game that had barely been on the schedule a full day, South Carolina was without four players, including three of its top reserves. Laeticia Amihere, LeLe Grissett, Saniya RIvers, and Olivia Thompson missed the game while in health and safety protocols.

The lack of depth showed in the second quarter. When the Gamecocks went to their second unit - which was really more like the third unit without Amihere, Grissett, and Rivers - the Bulldogs made a run. The Bulldogs went on a 13-2 run early in the second quarter to tie the game at 27. The Gamecocks had a lineup that included little-used Sania Feagin and Eniya Russell, another lightly-used player. But one of the more experienced reserves, Destiny Littleton, hit a three to break the tie, and then another three during a 10-2 run.

With the starters back in, South Carolina was able to build a ten-point halftime lead. An 11-2 run to start the third quarter built a 56-37 lead midway through the third. Mississippi State pulled back within 11 early in the fourth quarter, but Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke sparked a 7-0 run to secure the win.

Photos: Gamecocks return to winning ways

Cooke broke out of a six-game shooting slump, going 6-16 on her way to 18 points. The 18 points nearly equaled her total (21) from the previous three games. Cooke thanked her teammates for their support, but said she tried not to change anything.

“I couldn’t really tell you what was going on throughout those six games,” Cooke said. “I didn’t change anything. I kept the same routine that I’ve been doing and I knew it would show for itself.”

Dawn Staley told Cooke before the game to stay out of her own way, but other than that brief comment allowed Cooke to work free of the slump on her own.

“I left it alone. Sometimes the more you talk about it the more it becomes a mental thing,” Staley said. “I don’t think I had the magic words. Sometimes the law of averages says you’re going to get back on track.”

Russell played a season-high 17 minutes and scored a season-high eight points along with four rebounds, an assist, and a steal. It was a rewarding outing for a player who was part of the rotation last season as a freshman but has largely been squeezed out this season.

“It starts in practice. I challenge myself every day in practice. Iron sharpens iron, so playing against this group of girls every day in practice helps me prepare me for games,” Russell said. “It feels good to watch my minutes going up. I’m never satisfied so I just keep going hard to increase my minutes and improve my game.”

South Carolina got another 16 points and 11 rebounds from Boston, her seventh consecutive double-double and right at her season averages, and added four assists and two blocks. Destanni Henderson only had four points, but added eight assists and a career-high 14 rebounds. Victoria Saxton added 13 points, and Kamilla Cardoso had 10 points, six rebounds, and two blocks off the bench. As a team, South Carolina shot 50% from the floor (while holding Mississippi State to 37%), after shooting 38% or less the last four games. It would have been higher if South Carolina hadn’t gone 1-7 after Staley emptied the bench.

“I thought we had a couple good days of practice, and sometimes you need to get out there real quick. It may not be perfect basketball but it’s basketball,” Staley said. “Our stat sheet looked different than it did in previous games. We shot the ball a lot better and that’s a good start.”

Notes:

Grissett and Rivers are close to returning. They were permitted to sit on the bench with the team, but not play. … All eleven available Gamecocks played. Nine players, all but Feagin and Elysa Wesolek, scored. … The game was Staley’s 700th as a coach. … Staley was asked if she ever experienced a shooting slump like Cooke’s as a player. “I never had the gall to shoot as much as Zia!” she answered. … South Carolina committed 18 turnovers, leading to 18 points for Mississippi State. Staley said part of the problem is players trying to do more than they are being asked to do. She said players have to earn trust from the coaches, otherwise, “Dr. James Naismith made the bench a part of the game.” … Announced attendance was 11,403, and it was a good crowd for an unexpected game. … South Carolina’s next game is Thursday at LSU.

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