COLUMBIA, S.C. — Zia Cooke had 14 points and No. 1 South Carolina opened Southeastern Conference play with a 76-34 victory over Texas A&M on Thursday night.
The Gamecocks improved to 13-0 for the third time in the past nine seasons. They beat the Aggies (5-6, 0-1) for the 10th time in the past 11 meetings.
South Carolina, which lost its SEC opener at Missouri a year ago, outscored Texas A&M 24-6 in the opening period. It steadily increased the lead to 46 points in final minutes.
Freshman reserve Talaysia Cooper had 15 points for the Gamecocks, and sophomore backup Sania Feagin scored 11 points.
All-American Aliyah Boston finished with six points and five rebounds, playing just 19 minutes in the runaway win.
The injury-riddled Aggies, who had only eight players available, struggled to establish an offensive rhythm. They finished with 22 turnovers.
Sydney Bowles and Jada Malone each scored eight points for Texas A&M. Both players fouled out.
South Carolina did what it wanted inside, finishing with 38 points in the paint and 29 free-throw attempts, making 16 of them.
Cooke made three 3-pointers. She went 5 for 10 from the field overall.
BIG PICTURE
Texas A&M: The Aggies are the only SEC team with a sub-.500 overall record. ... They remain winless on the road, now with a 0-4 record. ... The 34 points marked a season low.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks have won 34 straight at home. ... This was the eighth time this season the Gamecocks held a team to fewer than 40 points.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M returns home to play Florida on Sunday.
South Carolina goes to Georgia on Monday night.
