Back to the ’ship: Gamecocks get revenge on Lady Vols to reach SEC tournament finals
Even as South Carolina women’s basketball went up big early Saturday in the SEC tournament semifinals against Tennessee, Gamecock fans at Bon Secours Wellness Arena and on social media held their breath.
They had seen No. 2 seed USC build substantial advantages before, in the team’s first meeting with Tennessee on Feb. 18 and in Thursday’s quarterfinals against Alabama, only for those leads to shrink and, in the case of that first game against the Lady Vols, disappear entirely.
But on Saturday, the Gamecocks kept the drama to a minimum, finishing UT off comfortably, 67-52, and returning to the SEC championship game for a shot at defending their title. They’ll face No. 4 seed Georgia on Sunday at 2 p.m.
“I think from the start, we were locked in and we were playing great defense and our offense was moving,” sophomore forward Aliyah Boston said. “So I’d say this is pretty much the first game where we played a complete 40 (minutes).”
Three Gamecocks scored in double figures — sophomore guard Zia Cooke led the way with 17 points, Boston had a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds, and junior guard Destanni Henderson did a little of everything to tally 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Senior guard LeLe Grissett was close behind with 8 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
“I was really happy about our players just hitting big shots,” coach Dawn Staley said. “(Henderson) was big, hitting crucial 3s down the stretch, Zia was attacking, Aliyah was just as strong. ... LeLe played great, inspired, offensively and defensively. I think she had four assists, couple of baskets. So super proud of everybody just coming together and playing some of our better basketball.”
3 OBSERVATIONS
1. First quarter burst
Much like the teams’ first meeting on Feb. 18, the game opened with a back-and-forth stretch in which the Gamecocks and Lady Vols traded buckets. After senior guard/forward Rennia Davis sank a 3-pointer to put UT up 11-10, though, momentum shifted.
Boston drilled a 3-pointer of her own in response, kick-starting a 10-0 run in the span of 91 seconds. That eventually morphed into a 19-2 surge to close the quarter, with Cooke scoring six unanswered points in the final minute to push the lead to 29-13.
That push came one day after the Gamecocks took a 26-6 lead at the end of the first quarter against Alabama.
“Terrific start,” Staley said. “I’d take this start like we’ve have the past two days in any of our games. You can manage it a bit better throughout the rest of the game.”
The Gamecocks built Saturday’s run by taking advantage of Tennessee mistakes — foul trouble led to 10 free throw attempts in the first quarter alone, and six Lady Vol turnovers translated to 12 points for USC. Cooke and Boston led the way with eight points each.
Staley also gave some credit to the vocal contingent of Gamecock fans who made the trip to Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
“I mean, this particular game felt a little bit different than our normal games, even at the Colonial Life Arena,” Staley said. “They were there. They were spread out, but we heard them. ... I do believe that our players played a little bit more inspired for longer stretches because we had our fans in the stands.”
2. Stepping on the gas
Into the second quarter, South Carolina saw its lead shrink just a little as it went cold from the field, shooting 3 of 14. But coming out of the halftime break, the Gamecocks got back on track and ensured their advantage never dipped below 13. Boston was particularly active, tallying seven points and five rebounds in that crucial frame.
“The third quarter, it’s important. All of them are, but teams really come out strong, especially if they’re down, just coming out in the third. They’re aggressive, trying to get their shots off,” Boston said. “So we really just had to stay locked in. I think we did a pretty good job of that. They just tried to keep pushing the ball in transition. So I think we have pretty good job of matching up.”
With less than two minutes left in the quarter, senior guard LeLe Grissett got a layup to push the lead back to 17. On the ensuing possession, Tennessee missed and Henderson got the rebound. Pushing the ball in transition, she found Grissett with a no-look pass for an easy score that forced a Tennessee timeout and ignited the crowd even more.
3. Physicality and fouls
Both coaches were livid with the officials at different points in the first half, and the fans in the arena were no less displeased. Tennessee was whistled seven times in the first quarter, and coach Kellie Harper flirted with a technical foul, straying outside her coaching box to let the referee know her thoughts.
Into the second quarter, things flipped. South Carolina was called for five fouls, including two on Boston. The second, coming on a defensive rebound, left Dawn Staley jumping up and down with outrage on the sideline.
The fouls lightened up in the second half, until a testy exchange in the fourth quarter. Tennessee’s Tamari Key and Cooke tangled for a jump ball, and after the whistle there was some jawing that ended with Davis and Cooke both being assessed technical fouls. That set the stage for a testy final 10 minutes in which contact was common. It wasn’t enough, though, to put any serious dent in South Carolina’s lead.
“I mean (Staley), she has said that we’re a little bit too nice on the court and when we get pushed, sometimes we don’t push back,” Boston said. “But I think just coming into this tournament, we just had different mindset. And yeah, Zia got a tech, but I think it was just her just standing her ground, making sure she was just staying strong. Because Tennessee is a physical team and so we just had to be ready for that.”
NEXT USC BASKETBALL GAME
What: SEC tournament finals
Who: No. 2 seed South Carolina vs. No. 4 seed Georgia
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville
Watch: ESPN2
This story was originally published March 6, 2021 at 8:36 PM.
