No. 1 South Carolina holds off No. 5 UConn in heated battle, 81-77

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - The first quarter of the game started off with both teams battling to put points up on the scoreboard, and the quarter ended with a 14-20 score.

Both teams went head to head in the first two halves of the game, tying at 34-34 for halftime.

Halftime in Hartford — South Carolina and UConn are knotted at 34.

The bench is the key. Cardoso, Amihere and Johnson have 24 of the Gamecocks’ points #Gamecocks
— Julia Westerman (@JuliaWesterman) February 5, 2023

Kamilla Cardoso (6pts, 5reb) and Laeticia Amihere (6pts, 4reb) were holding down the game. The Gamecocks trailed by just four with under three in the half.

During the third quarter of the game, Kamilla Cardoso was on fire with 15 points and 6 rebounds.

Cardoso having an incredible day off the bench — sitting at 15 points and 6 rebounds with a steal and a block. Huge on a day where Boston and others have been limited #Gamecocks https://t.co/1OjagNfwXP
— Julia Westerman (@JuliaWesterman) February 5, 2023

The third quarter ended with the Gamecocks having a three-point edge over the Huskies, the score was 53-50.

Just one quarter to go at XL Center and South Carolina holds the edge, 53-50.

Aaliyah Edwards notched her fourth foul late in the third. #Gamecocks have stayed out of foul trouble after the first quarter. Cardoso has three.
— Julia Westerman (@JuliaWesterman) February 5, 2023

UCONN took a timeout while the Gamecocks took the lead 65-59 with under 5 to go in the fourth quarter.

USC came out on top and finished strong with a score of 81-77. Now the team is 23-0 for the season. This is No. 1 South Carolina’s 29th straight win.

XL Center DUB‼️ pic.twitter.com/bHfwXpBOQ3
— South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) February 5, 2023

The game was played in front of a sellout crowd and the first at the XL Center since 2017.

UP NEXT:

South Carolina will visit Auburn on Thursday before a showdown with No. 3 LSU on Feb. 12

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

On Sunday, Feb. 5, No. 1 South Carolina went head-to-head with UConn at noon.

The game is a rematch of last year’s national championship bout. South Carolina is one of two remaining undefeated teams at 22-0 this season.

The Gamecocks came off an 87-69 win over Kentucky on Thursday.

This season point guard Zia Cooke has led the Gamecocks with 15.1 points per game while National Player of the Year Aliyah Boston is averaging 12.9 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.

Gamecocks lead the nation in blocks per game (9.9), field goal percentage defense (29.0), scoring defense (47.0), and scoring margin (35.2).

#1/1 at #5/4 ... Tipoff in 2️⃣ hours!

📍 XL Center / Hartford, CT
⏰ Noon ET
📺 FOX
📻 @1075thegame / SiriusXM 84 https://t.co/bo694BIbHF
📈 https://t.co/F2pJl6kbdx
📝 https://t.co/OlkTlmynF3 pic.twitter.com/r01H3FK3ZB
— South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) February 5, 2023

The game was televised on FOX.

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