'Inevitable' Aliyah Boston Praised by WCBB Twitter as No. 1 South Carolina Tops UConn

Top-ranked South Carolina is still unbeaten (23-0) after going on the road and beating No. 5 Connecticut 81-77 on Sunday at XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.

The Huskies jumped out to an early 25-14 lead after the first quarter, but the Gamecocks' suffocating defense quickly turned the tables. They held UConn to nine points in the second quarter to tie the score at halftime.

In the second half, South Carolina kept Connecticut at arm's reach for the remainder of the contest.

Aliyah Boston was held without a made field goal in the first half before helping the Gamecocks take over after halftime. She finished with a game-high 26 points on 8-of-16 shooting, adding 11 rebounds for her eighth straight double-double.

Dawn Staley's squad hasn't experienced any sort of championship hangover after it lifted its second national title last spring. Sunday's result reinforced why South Carolina is the favorite to make it two in a row.

Kamilla Cardoso and Raven Johnson chipped in with 17 and 14 points, respectively, off the bench. Brea Beal bounced back her early trouble to maintain her elite level on defense as well.

College basketball fans basically get to do this all over again in a week. South Carolina stays on the road to play Auburn on Thursday before it welcomes No. 3 LSU and the Tigers' 22-0 record to Columbia on Feb. 12.

Beyond the implications toward the SEC title race and seeding for the NCAA tournament, it could tip the scales in the race for the top individual honors. LSU's Angel Reese is averaging 23.4 points and 15.5 rebounds, so she and Boston could have a battle for the ages on the hardwood.