#1 South Carolina (17-1, 5-1) held off a late charge by Arkansas (11-6, 1-3) for a 61-52 win.

South Carolina led 36-27 at halftime and seemed to have the game in hand thanks to a 15-0 third quarter run that put South Carolina up by 20. But as the game went into the fourth quarter, Arkansas answered with a 15-0 run of its own. South Carolina turned the ball over eight times during the run, many of them unforced mistakes. South Carolina finished with 19 turnovers, 14 in the second half.

“We just get stagnant,” Dawn Staley said. “We’re hesitant shooting the ball and driving the ball. We’re working on things so they’re not going to be perfect, so it’s going to take a little bit of time to find that balance.”

Arkansas trailed 51-46 after the run, and South Carolina went to its veterans to stop the bleeding. Aliyah Boston set a screen, drawing most of the attention, and Destanni Henderson was left open for a short jumper. A three-point play by Makayla Daniels pulled Arkansas back within four with more than four minutes to play. South Carolina went back to Boston, who drew a foul and made both free throws, and then Staley made a move to catch Arkansas off guard.

Staley called for the full court press and Brea Beal surprised Arkansas, stealing the inbounds pass for a layup that put South Carolina back up eight points. After a block by Victaria Saxton, Boston scored a driving basket, and then Henderson made a layup to cap the game-deciding 8-0 run.

Henderson finished with 19 points, her season-high. She hit 4-7 from three and was able to punish Arkansas for sagging off of her to double Boston. But she did commit four turnovers, including a couple during Arkansas’ run.

“You saw glimpses of her knocking down shots and pushing tempo,’ Staley said. “She got us in our sets, she just has to do a better job of making decisions.”

Boston nearly had her eleventh-consecutive double-double at halftime, and she finished with 19 points, including 7-7 free throws, and 13 rebounds. But she was held in check most of the second half by the Razorbacks’ aggressive double-teams that, even though they were undersized, were able to disrupt Boston’s footwork and get her off-balance. After one play where she missed an open layup and then committed a foul on the rebound, Boston could be seen talking to herself as she walked the other way.

“I was getting frustrated with myself because everything was rimming out,” Boston explained on television after the game.

Midway through the third quarter Zia Cooke came up limping with a left foot injury. She immediately left the game and did not return, although she remained on the bench.

“I think she turned her ankle,” Staley said. “She could have gone back in but we decided to keep her out.”

Overall the South Carolina defense did its job. Daniels led Arkansas with 17 points. Amber Ramirez had 12 in the first half, and finished with 14. Arkansas hit its season average for three point attempts with 29, but only made seven (24.1%). Arkansas shot 28.3% from the floor and was outrebounded 45-25.

Notes:

Bree Hall was not available due to health and safety protocols. … Arkansas forward Erynn Barnum missed her seventh straight game with a knee injury. … Destanni Henderson passed 1,000 career points with a three-pointer in the first quarter. She joins Zia Cooke and Aliyah Boston in the 1,000-point club. They joined earlier this season against Maryland. … For a stretch in the first half, foul trouble forced Arkansas to play 5-9 guard Rylee Langerman against 6-5 Boston. It looked pretty funny and she got banged around pretty hard, but she held her own. … Announced attendance was 4,265. … South Carolina’s next game is Monday, January 24 against Vanderbilt.

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