No. 1 South Carolina beats second-ranked UConn to win the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament championship
Under the swaying palm trees, beaming sunlight and alongside the rolling waves, two women's college basketball heavyweights walked into a battle.
No. 1-ranked South Carolina (6-0) outlasted No. 2 Connecticut (3-1), 73-57, to take the Battle 4 Atlantis Championship Monday afternoon in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
Here's what we learned from the Gamecocks' big early-season win over Geno Auriemma and his Huskies:
Aliyah Boston proving she's one of the best players in the country
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley went to bat for junior forward Aliyah Boston and why she wasn't a consensus preseason All-American.
Boston, in return, just went to bat for her coach, dropping an impressive double-double with a game-high 22 points and 15 rebounds.
She stretched the floor early, knocking down a 3 and then gave a big target for South Carolina guards to find while UConn tried to camp in a 2-3 zone
The biggest thing Boston did was grab seven offensive rebounds, extending possessions and givng the Gamecocks more looks at the basket. South Carolina scored 17 second-chance points, which was the difference in the score.
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Where Dawn Staley trust lies
Staley has mentioned before this season that despite the star-studded roster filled with young stars, that she will rely on her veterans in important moments in huge games.
Junior guard Zia Cooke picked up two early fouls in the opening period, but Staley chose to keep her on the floor as UConn tried to stretch the lead — up to 13 points in the second.
The move allowed Cooke to stay engaged, get hot offensively and be a main reason South Carolina clawed back into the game by halftime. Cooke finished with 17 points on 8-of-17 shooting, hitting big shots early in the third quarter that kept the Huskies from really trimming the deficit.
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UConn Huskies, Paige Bueckers efficient with extra pass
The Huskies were able to extend some possessions with an extra pass, and they were efficient in scoring from those looks. UConn leads the nation in assists per game at 20 and it put up 12 through the first two quarters.
UConn star Paige Bueckers turned in seven assists, finding forwards Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Aaliyah Edwards down low for easy looks in the paint early to help the team shoot 48 percent from the field.
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First half turnovers continue to slow South Carolina
At some point this season – likely in the NCAA Tournament – fast starts are going to matter. And so far how the Gamecocks have come out of the gate in terms of ball security has left plenty to be desired.
In these big-time games, the Gamecocks can't afford to give away possessions, like it did against UConn early with plenty of unforced turnovers — 11 total through two quarters — that provided Bueckers and company to put up 13 points, which more than made up the difference on the scoreboard early.
Out of locker room for the second half, South Carolina didn't commit a turnover in the third quarter and that allowed it to outscore the Huskies, 40-21, the rest of the way.
South Carolina Gamecocks close fast opening stretch to season
The Gamecocks played three top 10 opponents, including No. 2 UConn. South Carolina knocked off No. 5 North Carolina State on the road and defeated No. 9 Oregon the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals to set up the showdown with the Huskies.
Make no mistake, no other team has been tested in the first three weeks of season like Staley's bunch. Playing quality teams in competitive environments where margins of errors are minuscule will pay off for the Gamecocks in the long run.
Cory Diaz covers the South Carolina Gamecocks for The Greenville News as part of the USA Today Network. Follow his work for all things Gamecocks on Twitter: @CoryDiaz_TGN