Chloe Kitts becomes first player since Aliyah Boston to hit triple-double in career night as South Carolina beats Ole Miss

South Carolina forward Chloe Kitts led the Gamecocks to a comprehensive 75-59 win over the Ole Miss Rebels on Thursday evening. Kitts recorded a triple-double of 16 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals in the game, setting a career high for assists and steals.

Kitts became the first Gamecocks player since former South Carolina legend Aaliyah Boston to record a triple-double. It was also the ninth triple-double in program history.

During her postgame news conference, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was full of praise for Kitts' achievement. The charismatic coach called a time-out in the fourth quarter and drew up a play that ensured that Kitts got her 10th assist by feeding the ball to Joyce Edwards.

"It was the hard way," Staley said. "It was really the hard way. It was playmaking, it was determination, it was will. It was Chloe Kitts. Chloe Kitts has this in her, and she couldn't be playing her best basketball at the right time."

Chloe Kitts has become a key cog for Gamecocks

Kitts has garnered more minutes for the South Carolina Gamecocks this season after the departure of key figures like Kamilla Cardoso to the WNBA. Last season, the forward averaged 18.6 minutes. She is averaging 20.5 mpg so far this season.

Kitts is averaging 9.1 ppg on 50% shooting from the floor and 26.7% shooting from beyond the arc, 7.6 rpg and 1.7 apg this season. She picked up where she left off last season after tallying a double-double in the national championship game against the Iowa Hawkeyes, garnering further praise from Dawn Staley.

"Chloe Kitts went up and down and all around, and then finally she settled in today to have a really good game,” Staley said postgame after winning the natty. “But she had to come off the bench at times because of – not what she wasn’t doing, but it was more about what somebody was doing and doing well.

"And that can shake your confidence. But at the same time, you have to let her know the way you build trust in our coaching staff, it’s the same way your competitor is building trust," she added.

Kitt's stellar performance against the Ole Miss Rebels ensures that the race to be the Southeastern Conference No. 1 seed goes down to the last game against the Kentucky Wildcats. Should the Texas Longhorns and South Carolina Gamecocks finish the season with similar records, the No. 1 seed for the tournament will be decided by a coin toss.