South Carolina led in just about every category.

Every category except fouls.

The Missouri Tigers committed 30 fouls as the fell to the defending champion and No. 2-ranked Gamecocks 83-52 to open SEC play at Mizzou Arena on Thursday

“Obviously (South Carolina coach) Dawn (Staley) has a great squad,” Missouri coach Robin Pingeton said. “They’re very deep, very talented. But I’m proud of our team, I thought we competed.”

South Carolina made 27-of-57 shots to the Tigers’ 18-of-57, the Gamecocks out-rebounded the Tigers 48-27, they had six blocks to the Tigers’ zero, outscored Mizzou in the paint 40-25 and on second-chance points 19-3.

Everything went South Carolina’s way except total steals, which Missouri won 7-5.

The Tigers stayed close early as an Averi Kroenke steal turned into an assist on an Ashton Judd 3 from the top of the key to tie the game at 6 with 7:10 left in the first quarter.

Judd went on to lead the Tigers with 15 points.

“We struggled initially trying to make the right read and whether or not it’s a tight cut, a back cut,” Judd said.

Then Grace Slaughter drove and spun around a defender for a tough layup to give the Tigers their lone lead of the day at 8-6 with 5:56 left in the first.

The Tigers stayed in front for 25 seconds and never led again after a Raven Johnson layup tied the game at 8 to start an 11-0 Gamecock run, which put South Carolina in front 15-8 with 3:09 left before the first break.

Laniah Randle ended a 4:44 stretch without a Tiger bucket when she spun for a falling layup with 1:12 left, then a Kroenke free throw cut the South Carolina lead to 21-13 after one quarter.

Along with the Tigers have foul trouble as a team, the issues were centered around the post where Angelique Ngalakulondi collected two fouls in the first 3:14, then Hannah Linthacum subbed in and collected two fouls in the next 3:37, meaning Pingeton had to send in Tionna Herron in the first quarter, and she quickly had a foul, too.

“We were in foul trouble the majority of the game,” Pingeton said. “Putting a team on the line 32 times is tough.”

Herron subbed out early in the second quarter, leaving the Tigers with a all-guard lineup of Slaughter, De’Myla Brown, Judd, Kroenke and Randle.

That lineup, along with one including Tilda Sjokvist in for Kroenke, promptly went on an 8-0 run as Slaughter hit three layups and Judd added one of her own to cut the Gamecock lead to 25-23.

But the Gamecocks quickly regained control with a 9-0 run of their own before taking a 36-26 lead into halftime.

“They were pretty disruptive,” Pingeton said. “I think they played the 3 a little bit tighter than they had been all season long.”

The Tigers stayed near a 10-point deficit for the first half of the third quarter, but after a Nyah Wilson jumper made it 43-34 with 5:09 left, South Carolina scored 16 of the quarter’s final 19 points to build a 59-37 lead going to the fourth.

“Late in the second quarter, it was a 2-point game, late in the third it was an 11-point game,” Pingeton said. “But the thing about South Carolina, they just need a little window and all of a sudden, an 11-point game becomes a 16-point game and then it turns into a 24-point game.”

The Tigers never got back within 20, as South Carolina kept extending the advantage. The Gamecocks got to a 30-point lead with 6:08 left, then got as far ahead as 34 points at three times in the final minutes.

Mizzou shot 18-of-57 (31.6 percent) from the field, including only shooting 11-of-32 (34.4 percent) on layups, while making just 5-of-16 (31.3 percent) from 3 and 11-of-17 (64.7 percent) at the free-throw line.

“We had some good looks at the rim that we didn’t convert on,” Pingeton said. “If you don’t get that, they turn into transition baskets and we overran some of our tags offensively that put us in a really bad position with our transition defense.”

South Carolina shot 27-of-57 (47.4 percent) from the field, 4-of-15 (26.7 percent) from 3 and 25-of-32 (78.1 percent) at the line.

The Gamecocks’ bench outscored Missouri by itself, adding 57 points to the South Carolina total.

Missouri (11-5) continues SEC play with another ranked opponent as the Tigers face No. 19 Alabama on the road at 2 p.m. Sunday.