COLUMBIA, S.C. — The 12th-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols did not have much of an answer against No. 1 South Carolina Sunday.
The Gamecocks defeated the Lady Vols, 67-53 to move to 13-1 in SEC play. South Carolina's only loss in conference play was to Missouri at the beginning of SEC play.
Tennessee moves to 10-4, which could drop them to fourth in conference standings.
The Lady Vols were without their leading scorer and rebounder, Jordan Horston, who is out indefinitely with an injury to her elbow.
Tennessee was plagued with foul trouble early in the game. Forwards Alexus Dye, Sarah Puckett and Emily Saunders all picked up two fouls in the first quarter alone.
At halftime, South Carolina led the Lady Vols, 32-23. The Lady Vols were out-scored in the second quarter 15-10, despite a long scoring drought from the Gamecocks.
Tennessee was also outrebounded, 32-19 in the first 20 minutes of play. On the game, the Lady Vols were out-worked on the boards, 59-38. South Carolina finished with 31 offensive rebounds.
The Lady Vols were led in scoring by senior guard Rae Burrell. She finished with 14 points and 3 rebounds.
Forward Tamari Key added 10 points and 7 rebounds and 10 blocks. She ties for No. 2 all-time for blocks in a single season at Tennessee. She has 99 blocks on the season.
Point-guard Jordan Walker added 11 points.
The Gamecocks were led by their leading scorer, Aliyah Boston. She finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Boston earned her 19th consecutive double-double, tying the longest streak in the SEC since Sylvia Fowles in 2006-2007.
Fastbreak points were Tennessee's Achilles heel. The Gamecocks out-scored Tennessee in transition, 16-0.
With Tennessee's loss to South Carolina, the Lady Vols are likely to drop out of the top-16 in the NCAA Tournament.
Up Next: Tennessee just has two regular-season games left. The Lady Vols host Mississippi State (6-7 in SEC) on Thursday and LSU (10-3) on Sunday.
