Opening battle: South Carolina fends off feisty Vanderbilt team in SEC Tournament
Bon Secours Wellness Arena felt a lot like Colonial Life Arena on Friday afternoon.
While the site of this year’s SEC Tournament is technically neutral, it might as well have been a home game for Dawn Staley and South Carolina.
The arena, chock full of Gamecock faithful, was ecstatic after each and every made shot during South Carolina’s 84-63 win over Vanderbilt in the tournament quarterfinals. The Gamecocks staved off a legitimate second-half comeback attempt from the Commodores to secure a gutsy win.
Chloe Kitts made a huge difference late and finished with a career-high 25 points, 11 of those coming in the final quarter. USC ended the game on an 18-3 run.
With the win, No. 1 seeded South Carolina (28-3) advances to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament and will play either Kentucky or Oklahoma on Saturday.
Big run sparks a dominant showing
It was close until it wasn’t on Friday.
South Carolina and Vanderbilt were seemingly locked into a back-and-forth battle in the first quarter. Neither team could really gain an advantage over the other and Vanderbilt held a small lead 13-11 with just over three minutes left in the first quarter.
Then the Gamecocks found some juice.
South Carolina finished the quarter on a 13-2 run to take a 24-15 lead into the second quarter.
The final five points of the run came exclusively from MiLaysia Fulwiley. The first bucket came on a fast break layup and the second came moments after a steal where Fulwiley drilled a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
The Gamecocks continued to dominate the Commodores and outscored them 24-8 in the second quarter. In all, South Carolina extended its run from the first quarter to finish the half on a 35-10 run.
South Carolina took a 48-23 lead into the locker room at halftime after shooting 58.8% from the floor as a team in the first half. All but two (Tessa Johnson and Maddy McDaniel) of the 10 Gamecocks who touched the floor scored before halftime.
Sania Feagin led the team going into the break with 10 points and seven rebounds. Fulwiley was right behind her with nine points. Fulwiley finished with 15 points and Feagin finished with 13.
Chloe Kitts puts on a clinic
Kitts’ hot streak continued on Friday afternoon.
The junior forward finished with a career-high 25 points against the Commodores. She made a season-high 12 shots on 14 attempts from the floor. Kitts also finished with 10 rebounds, making it her ninth double-double of the season.
“I was just going out there and playing confident,” Kitts said.
Kitts was largely responsible for South Carolina’s ability to keep Vanderbilt’s comeback bid at bay late in the game. She scored 11 of her points in the fourth quarter alone.
“When Chloe is doing good, it motivates all of us to want to play good,” Fulwiley said. “When Chloe is playing like that, we’re a hard team to beat.”
Friday’s game was the latest in a stretch of impressive games for Kitts. It’s the third game in a row where Kitts logged at least a double-double. Last week, Kitts recorded a triple-double against Ole Miss and a double-double against Kentucky.
“This is really who Chloe is,” Staley said. “She’s starting to play consistent basketball. She wants to be a playmaker.”
No quit from Vanderbilt
It wasn’t quite all sunshine and rainbows for South Carolina.
The Gamecocks had all the momentum heading into halftime but came out in the second half looking like a different team. After shooting the lights out in the first half, South Carolina shot just 26.3% from the floor in the third period.
Vanderbilt opened the third quarter on a 9-0 run and ultimately out scored the Gamecocks 25-13 in the third period.
The Commodores trailed by as much as 25 in the game and were able to trim the lead to as little as five late in the game. Vanderbilt was led by its one-two punch of SEC Freshman of the Year Mikayla Blakes and Khamil Pierre. Blakes finished with 20 points and Pierre finished with 17.
Vanderbilt’s last points came with 4:22 left in the fourth quarter. USC closed the game on a 16-0 run — starting with 7 consecutive points from Kitts. The run extended the Gamecocks’ lead back to double-digits with under two minutes left in the game.
Vandy coach Shea Ralph described the Gamecocks’ late surge as “deflating.”
“It’s definitely not what you want to have the last three minutes of a basketball game,” she said.
South Carolina upcoming schedule
- 4:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN2) vs. winner of No. 4 Kentucky and No. 5 Oklahoma
This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 1:56 PM.
