COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Aleighsa Welch had 16 points and 14 rebounds, and freshman Alaina Coates added 10 points and 17 rebounds to lead No. 10 South Carolina to a 68-59 win over No. 9 Kentucky on Thursday night.
The Gamecocks (15-1, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) held the SEC's highest-scoring team 33 points below their average. The Wildcats shot just 32 percent and had 14 shots blocked.
Kentucky (13-3, 1-2) made five of its first seven shots as South Carolina initially struggled to stop the Wildcats inside. But the Gamecocks quickly figured things out and led by as many as 22 points in the second half.
The Wildcats cut the lead to eight before Coates' layup with 1:03 left gave her a fifth double-double in 16 games.
Janee Thompson, Samarie Walker and Azia Bishop each scored 12 points for Kentucky.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.
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