OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Leticia Amihere scored 16 points and No. 1 South Carolina held Mississippi scoreless in the first quarter and limited Ole Miss to two points in the first half on the way to an 87-32 win on Thursday night.

The Gamecocks (20-1, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) led 18-0 after one period and scored 27 unanswered points before Mississippi (7-14, 0-7) got its first basket. South Carolina led 32-2 at the break.

Mikiah Herbert Harrigan scored eight points, blocked two shots and added a steal in the early decisive surge as the Lady Rebels missed 19 consecutive shots and had 16 turnovers.

Tyasha Harris and Herbert Harrigan finished with 10 points apiece for South Carolina, which led by as many as 57 points, 87-30, on a 3-point shot by Olivia Thompson with 1:17 remaining.

Ole Miss ended its first-half scoring drought on Mimi Reid’s layup with 57 seconds left in the second quarter. Reid led the Rebels with 12 points. Ole Miss finished 13 of 50 (26%) from the field and 0 of 10 from the 3-point line.

The last time a Division 1 team scored as few as two points in a half was Dec. 16, 2016, when Western Kentucky defeated Lipscomb 87-35 after leading 56-2 at halftime.

South Carolina was 33 of 62 (53%) from the field, 8 of 19 (42%) from 3-point range and 13 of 17 (76%) from the free throw line. The Gamecocks outrebounded the Rebels 45-22, including a game-high eight rebounds by Aliyah Boston.

BIG PICTURE

South Carolina: The Gamecocks were not caught looking ahead showcasing a dominating performance. The schedule moves into overdrive as the next three games feature ranked teams: No. 22 Tennessee at home, a visit to No. 25 Arkansas and a non-conference home match with No. 4 Connecticut.

Ole Miss: The Rebels weren’t bad defensively in the first half, forcing eight turnovers and limiting South Carolina to 13 of 30 (29%) from the field. No defense could compensate for the offensive performance, which set season lows in every statistical category.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

South Carolina: The No. 1 ranking will remain secure, pending the outcomes of the crucial three-game set.

UP NEXT

South Carolina: Hosts No. 22 Tennessee on Sunday.

Ole Miss: Hosts Alabama on Sunday.

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