No. 1 South Carolina women top Tennessee to clinch SEC regular-season championship
The Gamecocks are conference champions one again.
South Carolina (28-0, 15-0 SEC) defeated Tennessee 73-60 inside Thompson-Boling Arena on Thursday to clinch the SEC regular-season title for the seventh time in school history.
USC extended its winning streak to 34 games.
Like several of its road games, South Carolina got out to a slow start. The team trailed by 10 points after a made 3-pointer by Tennessee’s Jordan Walker.
But the Gamecocks returned to form in short order.
South Carolina was jolted by a 17-0 run in the second quarter, which began immediately after the Walker make.
The team never relinquished control and led by as many as 18 points. Zia Cooke scored a team-high 19 points. Kierra Fletcher added in 15 points, and Brea Beal delivered a 11-point, 11-rebound double-double.
The Lady Vols (20-10, 12-3 SEC) attempted a late comeback, and the crowd got more involved in the fourth quarter as they cut the lead to single digits.
South Carolina returns home for its regular season finale — and Senior Day game — against Georgia.
SUPER SECOND QUARTER
USC went on a scoring surge during the second quarter with its 17-0 run. The team struggled mightily from the field before the run, as Tennessee forced it to settle for jumpers and made scoring in the paint a challenge.
“I think for them, it was just physicality,” Beal said. “Just being aggressive when they’re going to the basket. They were deliberate attacking us.”
Cooke made a midrange jump shot after the Lady Vols initially went up 10 points. Cooke scored the first eight points of the run, making USC’s first two 3-pointers of the game.
Tennessee had no answers during this stretch, shooting 0-10 in a six-minute period. South Carolina’s momentum carried into the 3rd quarter, where it outscored UT 26-12.
The Volunteer fans began to progressively quiet down as USC got on its hot streak.
“I think it’s just about staying composed,” Fletcher said. “We don’t really get rattled ever. We’re always in confident ourselves and we know that, at the end of the day, we are the best team in the country.”
ROAD WARRIORS
South Carolina finished the season with a 13-0 record in true road games.
The Gamecocks sometimes got out to slow starts in road games, particularly against ranked or SEC opponents. But like it did on Thursday, the team found ways to go on scoring runs and take control of the game.
USC scored 80 or more points in six of its road games.
The last time the Gamecocks had an undefeated season on the road was in the 2019-20 season. Their only loss away from Colonial Life Arena was a neutral-site game against Indiana in St. Thomas.
SECURING THE SEC
The Gamecocks clinched a share of the SEC championship with the victory, and will be the No. 1 seed in the SEC tournament, which begins March 1st in Greenville.
They wouldn’t play until that Friday with the double-bye. Since USC defeated LSU earlier this month, a hypothetical loss on Sunday against Georgia wouldn’t impact its positioning for the tournament.
“We told the team we clinched at least a tie of it, but we want to win it outright,” head coach Dawn Staley said. “Our team wants to win it outright, and we control that.”
USC was listed as the No. 1 overall seed in the most recent NCAA Top 16 reveal on Thursday. The Gamecocks were placed in the Greenville region, meaning they wouldn’t play a game outside of the state until the Final Four.
The top 16 teams in the country are granted the ability to host the first two games of the NCAA tournament.
NEXT SOUTH CAROLINA WBB GAMES
Sunday: home vs. Georgia, noon (ESPN2)
TBD: SEC Tournament
This story was originally published February 23, 2023 at 9:10 PM.
