What was Aliyah Boston's message to Bree Hall in South Carolina women's basketball win vs LSU
When Bree Hall needed a calming presence down the stretch against LSU in a sold-out Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Thursday, she found it in a former teammate.
Former South Carolina women's basketball star center Aliyah Boston, to be exact. Boston won WNBA Rookie of the Year this summer with the Indiana Fever.
Boston, who has spent her offseason as an analyst for Big Ten Network, was in Baton Rouge for the matchup between the No. 1 Gamecocks and No. 9 Tigers. She also ended up in the huddle with her former team in the fourth quarter before South Carolina rallied to win 76-70.
Hall had missed her two 3-point attempts in the first half and hadn't taken one since. The junior guard had only made two shots all game, but her team needed her in crunch time. South Carolina (18-0, 6-0 SEC) rallied from a double-digit deficit, and the lead switched back and forth after Kamilla Cardoso gave the Gamecocks the lead with six minutes left.
But Boston's message in a fourth-quarter timeout prepared Hall for two huge 3-pointers in the last three minutes of the game. Hall knocked one down to give South Carolina a three-point lead. Hailey Van Lith answered for LSU (18-3, 5-2) to tie it again, but Hall drained another 3-pointer with just over a minute left, and it was the dagger in the comeback victory.
"I gotta give it up to Aliyah Boston today, because she said something to Breezy during the timeout that really relaxed her, settled her down to be able to see the ball come at her and it's a practice shot," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. "This is what she does every single day that we're out on the court, puts in extra and didn't hesitate."
Boston wouldn't tell Staley what she said, but she told reporters after the game what her message to Hall was.
"I just told her to stay confident," Boston said. "I told her to read the floor, slow down, take a breath. She's going to be able to do what she wants to do with patience, and she did that. I think she did a great job. She hit some big shots for us, and I told her don't let that affect your defense. And she had a big block, a big rebound, she was good.
"Breezy is that girl. Put that in there."
It wasn't the first time Hall stepped up in critical moments for South Carolina this season. She led the Gamecocks in a rivalry game on the road at North Carolina. Hall hit big shots, scoring a team-high 15 points, shooting 5-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range.
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Hall has relied on Boston often for advice this season. South Carolina graduated all five of its starters from last season's Final Four team, and Hall stepped into a significantly larger role as a leader and starter.
Hall said going into the season she called Boston nearly every day for advice, and her mentor was in her ear for what may have been the biggest moment of the season.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Aliyah Boston prepared Bree Hall for big shots in Gamecocks win vs LSU
