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South Carolina gets 15th consecutive win over ranked opponent

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Zia Cooke had a team-high 18 points for South Carolina. (Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

South Carolina women’s basketball continues to win against ranked opponents, further shattering doubts that they could repeat as national champions.

On Friday, the team took down No. 17 Maryland 81-56. It marked their 15th straight win over a ranked opponent.

The team’s last loss to a ranked opponent came in the 2021 Final Four against Stanford.

Last season, the team won all 14 games against ranked opponents – including a 73-57 win over then-No. 2 UConn at the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Against Maryland, the Gamecocks held a double-digit lead for most of the second half and led for 38:17 of the game. The rest of the time, it was tied. The team never trailed.

They’ll face another tall test on Nov. 20 in No. 2 Stanford on the road after playing Clemson next Thursday.

“It’s good for us to play against teams that are on their level, or even higher, because it helps us down the road,” senior guard Zia Cooke said postgame. Cooke had 18 points to lead South Carolina.

Three other players scored in double figures for the Gamecocks as they were bolstered by 34 bench points. Aliyah Boston, with 16 points and 13 rebounds, recorded her 62nd career and second-straight double-double.