No.1 South Carolina turns back No. 3 LSU in showdown

Defending national champion and top-seeded South Carolina defeated No. 3 LSU in a battle of undefeated teams Sunday, eventually pulling away in the second half for a convincing 88-64 win.

It was the Gamecocks’ 31st straight win, and 19th straight against a ranked opponent.

South Carolina raced out to an 18-2 lead early on and it looked like the contest would be quick and full.

But the Tigers rallied, going on a 19-8 run of their own to cut South Carolina’s lead to 26-21 midway through the second quarter.

South Carolina doubled its advantage by halftime, but Zia Cookie (11 points) and Aliyah Boston (10) halved a 42-32 lead at the break.

With the Gamecocks defense stifling Angel Reese, LSU’s leading scorer and rebounder, they slowly pulled away in the second half. Reese finished with 16 points, but only four rebounds, ending his streak of 23 consecutive games to start the season. It is the longest streak to start a season in SEC history.

Five South Caolina players scored in double figures, led by Kamilla Cardoso with 18 points. He also added 13 rebounds and three blocks.

Cooke finished with 19 points and Boston added 14 points and nine rebounds.

LSU’s Alexis Morris led all scorers with 23 points, but 15 of those came in the first half before South Carolina surrounded him as well.

South Carolina improves to 25-0 overall and 12-0 in the SEC. LSU fell to 23-1 overall and 11-1 in conference play.