Aliyah Boston set the SEC record for consecutive double-doubles on Thursday, recording her 20th in South Carolina’s 89-48 win over Texas A&M. With the win, the No. 1-ranked Gamecocks earned the SEC regular-season title outright after clinching the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament on Sunday.

Boston registered 18 points and 10 rebounds, surpassing Sylvia Fowles’ mark of 19 straight double-doubles set in 2006-07 during her junior season at LSU. Boston is the fifth woman in Division I history to record at least 20 consecutive double-doubles, according to ESPN Stats & Information. DePaul’s Aneesah Morrow is the only other player to join the ranks this season. The freshman has 21 straight double-doubles heading into a Friday night matchup with Seton Hall.

The other three players are Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris, Cal’s Kristine Anigwe and Robert Morris’ Artemis Spanou.

“I think I celebrated a little bit,” Boston told SEC Network after the game. “I’m just very excited. I’m just thankful to God that I’m able to do this. I’m thankful to my teammates.”

“This league puts you in position to do some historical things,” said South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley. “And that’s exactly what it did for Aliyah. I’m so happy for her. She etches her name in history.

HISTORY FOR ALIYAH BOSTON 👑

Her 20th straight double-double sets a new SEC record! pic.twitter.com/rJ7QLtM182

— ESPN (@espn) February 25, 2022

Staley also shared a moment that helped Boston reach the the milestone, calling it the epitome of our team.”

“I know she would deflect and give credit to her teammates,” Staley said. “In the third quarter, Brea Beal and Aliyah were near each other for a rebound and Brea was like, ‘Go get it.’ That is the type of friends and teammates they are. No one wanted her to get it more than her sisters.”

Beal finished the game with seven points and eight rebounds, while Destanni Henderson added 17 points. The Gamecocks’ bench was a major factor, outscoring the Aggies’ 42-25, and South Carolina dominated Texas A&M with points in the paint, 48-22.

Jordan Nixon was the lone Aggie to reach double digits, contributing 11 points. Qadashah Hoppie added nine points and four rebounds in the final home game for head coach Gary Blair, who announced his retirement in October.

Staley had nothing but praise for Blair after the game.

“In the world in which a large portion of guys don’t think our game is worth looking at or following, coaches like Coach Blair dedicated their entire lives to girls’ and women’s basketball,” Staley said. “Certainly it’s much deserved [they] named the court after him. I respect Coach Blair a great deal for winning championships and doing it the right way.

“Coach Blair has given so much of himself. I’m sure he missed a lot of family time, all because he sacrificed for the betterment of our game. So I just told him, ‘Thank you.’ I hope his retirement is as fulfilling as basketball was for him.”

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins breaks down the newly reported indefinite absence of NWSL star Trinity Rodman from the Washington Spirit, with the 22-year-old attacker rehabbing an ongoing back injury that could reshape the prospects of both the Spirit and the USWNT.

Calling her "the face of the NWSL," Watkins details the Spirit star's long-term back injury, which has led Rodman to seek treatment with a team doctor in London — all while acknowledging that she doesn't think her "back will ever be 100%."

Watkins digs into the potential contributing factors to Rodman's current injury status, including the USWNT's heavy use of the forward during the 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning run in Paris — and whether the team will make different decisions going forward due to the fallout on players like Rodman.

"I'm really curious if [USWNT manager Emma] Hayes and her coaching staff will adjust the way they approach strikers in the future, or forwards in the future, or rotation — or if this is just one of those many stories of a player giving it all for the United States and living with the consequences," says Watkins.

As for Washington, Watkins note that — in the wake of copious injuries — the Spirit is still finding ways to win, with club owner Michele Kang and the coaching staff shrewdly managing the depleted roster.

"I think they would be a juggernaut if they were healthy, but they can win pretty, they can win ugly," notes Watkins.

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'An NWSL breaking point'

Watkins also points out that she thinks Rodman's choice to seek treatment in London could be significant, as the forward is currently in a contract year.

With multiple NWSL standouts recently defecting to European clubs, Watkins argues that the US league is hitting a "breaking point" when it comes to retaining top players.

"I am just really, really curious if, by the end of this season, this situation has led Rodman back to the Spirit or if this is the beginning of a player having to progress forward in a different environment," Watkins sums up.

About 'The Late Sub' with Claire Watkins

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes on the USWNT, NWSL, and all things women's soccer. Special guest appearances featuring the biggest names in women’s sports make TLS a must-listen for every soccer fan.

Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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There's a traffic jam in the middle of the NWSL standings, with this weekend's slate bound to create some distance among mid-table teams jockeying to break free from the pack.

Between rising underdogs and top-dog rivalries, expect the 2025 NWSL season's sixth matchday to leave it all on the field:

• No. 2 Orlando Pride vs. No. 6 Angel City, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): With both teams coming off demoralizing losses last weekend, the 2024 NWSL champs will fight to bounce back against the LA upstarts in Friday's marquee matchup.

• No. 10 Houston Dash vs. No. 11 Utah Royals, Friday at 8 PM ET (NWSL+): Tied up at four points apiece, the pair of struggling teams just below playoff contention on the NWSL table will battle for a boost above the cutoff line as the recently sold Royals take a trip to Texas on Friday.

• No. 3 Washington Spirit vs. No. 4 Gotham FC, Saturday at 1 PM ET (CBS): This week's top-table showdown features two injury-struck East Coast rivals getting rowdy at Audi — can Gotham turn things around or will Washington keep persevering?

• No. 9 Bay FC vs. No. 8 Seattle Reign, Saturday at 10 PM ET (ION): Seattle holds a slim tie-break over Bay FC as both teams hug the playoff line, with the Reign looking to build on last week’s Cascadia Clash victory over Portland.

This weekend has the potential to divide the contenders from the pretenders, while the league's top three clubs continue to hold court over the rest of the field.

Saturday's soccer lineup underlines a brewing East Coast rivalry, as the Washington Spirit hosts Gotham FC for the first time since knocking the Bats out of the 2024 NWSL semifinals.

"Just playing against them, you feel that fire," Spirit forward Makenna Morris told JWS this week, with Washington's Audi Field anticipating a large crowd for Saturday's match.

Both clubs know each other well, with 2021 NWSL champions Washington and 2023 trophy-winners Gotham seeing a number of big-name players migrating between New York and DC in recent years.

After finishing 2024 in the league's top four, both teams continue to lurk near the top of NWSL table this season, cementing the idea that the best rivalries blossom between winning sides.

"The [team] that poses the most challenge to you, it just makes you want to beat them so bad," said Washington midfielder Gabby Carle.

"You hate to play them because they're good, but you also love it because it's so competitive," echoed Morris.

Ultimately, familiarity is breeding healthy resentment between two of the NWSL's winningest sides, providing a little extra incentive to secure all three points in this weekend’s matchup.

How to watch NWSL rivals Washington vs. Gotham this weekend

The Spirit will host East Coast rival Gotham at 1 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage of the 2024 NWSL semifinals rematch airing on CBS.

As the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) wraps up its two-leg semifinals on Sunday, the English teams still in the running find themselves on the brink of elimination from Europe's most prestigious club competition.

Facing a 4-1 deficit against reigning champs Barcelona, Chelsea will aim to close the gap — and keep their historic quadruple hopes alive — at home this weekend.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will try to overcome a more manageable 2-1 deficit against eight-time Champions League winners Lyon, traveling to France to keep their UWCL campaign alive.

An English side hasn't won the UWCL since 2007, when Arsenal took home the WSL's lone European championship trophy.

"Huge respect for their history and what they have been doing and producing in the Champions League, in Europe," Arsenal manager Renée Slegers said of Lyon. "I think they're still a very strong side."

"Subconsciously, you always have that thing when you fall short, like last year," said Lyon midfielder and USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps, reflecting back on last season’s title loss to Barcelona. "You lose a game, you lose a tournament – the feeling is there until you're back in the the games that can fix that feeling."

How to watch the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals

Sunday's second leg of the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals kicks off with Chelsea vs. Barcelona at 9 AM ET, before Arsenal faces Lyon at 12 PM ET.

Both matches will air live on DAZN.