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 👑
— ESPN (@espn) February 25, 2022
Her 20th straight double-double sets a new SEC record! pic.twitter.com/rJ7QLtM182
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.”
Aliyah Boston made history during South Carolina’s 67-53 win over Tennessee Sunday.
A sold-out Colonial Life Arena crowd watched as Boston logged her 19th straight double-double of the regular season, tying Sylvia Fowles’ 2006-07 streak for the longest in SEC history.
The Junior led the Gamecocks with 16 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 8-for-17 from the field. Destanni Henderson added 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Zia Cooke contributed 12 points and five rebounds to the team’s tally.
ALIYAH BOSTON HAS DONE IT‼️ @aa_boston gets her 19th straight double-double, tying Sylvia Fowles for the most in SEC history 👏 pic.twitter.com/jo4HRhSIwd
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) February 20, 2022
South Carolina got off a slow start but managed to head into halftime up 32-23, with both the Gamecocks and Tennessee shooting less than 31 percent from the field.
In the third quarter, South Carolina turned on the jets, ending the frame on an 11-2 run to extend their lead over Tennessee to 57-40.
Outrebounding Tennessee 60-38, South Carolina beat the Lady Volunteers on the boards to cruise to the team’s 11th regular-season victory over a top-ranked opponent.
The win secures South Carolina its share of the SEC regular-season title, improving to 13-1 in conference play.