The University of Arkansas hung around for nearly three quarters, but Aliyah Boston and No. 4 South Carolina applied the knockout punch late Monday night.
Boston, a 6-5 sophomore, dominated the No. 15 Razorbacks to the tune of 26 points, 16 rebounds and 6 blocked shots to lead the Gamecocks to a 104-82 victory at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C.
South Carolina (10-1, 5-0 SEC) used a 9-0 spurt to lead by double digits after three quarters, then added another to turn it into a fourth-quarter rout.
Arkansas Coach Mike Neighbors said his team wore down against the well-rounded Gamecocks.
"When you see how well-conditioned they are, how disciplined they are, how fast they play, it just has a wearing effect," Neighbors said. "This is where having played our 16th game catches up to us a little bit. And that's OK.
"This is a South Carolina team, y'all know how much praise I gave them last year, I think they were on their way to a national championship. And this team is just as explosive, just as deep, just as hard to guard and just incredibly hard to get a shot off [against]. The fact that we got off 71 shots is a small victory."
Neighbors said Boston, the national freshman of the year last season, has more going for her than just her size.
"I hate it when people go, 'Oh, she's just so much bigger,' " Neighbors said. "She's incredibly skilled. She's incredibly smart. She moves without the ball. She seals you when the ball's in the air. We need more true low post players in the country. I would love for there to be more to go around like that."
Boston averaged 16.7 points and 17.7 rebounds in three South Carolina wins over Arkansas last season. She got going early again vs. Arkansas this season, registering a double-double by halftime.
She became just the third player in the past 20 seasons with at least 25 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocked shots in an SEC game, joining LSU's Sylvia Fowles and Tennessee's Candace Parker.
She got plenty of help as three other Gamecocks reached double figures, including Brea Beal's career-high 22. Destanni Henderson added a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists, and 6-2 Victaria Saxton added 10 points.
Arkansas (11-5, 2-4) pulled within 62-59 on Erynn Barnum's bucket inside with 2:41 left in the third quarter. It was all South Carolina from there, putting the game away with a 33-point fourth quarter.
The Gamecocks used a 9-0 spurt to lead 71-61 after three quarters. They added another 9-0 flurry to lead 85-64 with 6:11 left.
Chelsea Dungee, who averages an SEC-best 21.4 points per game, scored a team-high 22 for the Razorbacks. Destiny Slocum added 15, while Barnum chipped in 13 off the bench. Amber Ramirez and Makayla Daniels each had 10.
South Carolina never trailed and jumped to a 10-point lead early, but Arkansas wouldn't go away. Daniels' steal and three-pointer pulled the Razorbacks within 39-37 with 1:16 left in the second quarter. Destiny Littleton answered with a three-pointer of her own as the Gamecocks settled for a 42-37 halftime advantage.
The Gamecocks had almost as many offensive rebounds (14) as total boards by Arkansas (15) in the first half, and they enjoyed a 29-15 overall advantage.
Arkansas has one game scheduled in the next 13 days. The Razorback travel to No. 22 Georgia on Monday after an open date Thursday.
They had another open date pop up Jan. 28 since they were scheduled to host Vanderbilt, which announced Monday it was ending its season because of a combination of covid-19-related circumstances, opt-outs and injuries.
Paul Boyd can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAPaulb.