One to go: South Carolina WBB outlasts LSU to reach SEC Tournament finals
South Carolina punched its ticket to its seventh-straight SEC Tournament championship game.
Dawn Staley and the top-seeded Gamecocks beat No. 4 seed LSU 83-77 in a tightly contested semifinals game Saturday in Greenville’s Bon Secours Wellness Arena. It was USC’s 19th-straight win over LSU.
“LSU is a really good team,” said USC senior point guard Raven Johnson, who led the Gamecocks with 22 points. “We knew we had to compete and bring our A game. We had to play for 40 minutes. Every possession mattered. ... Every time we go against LSU, we know it’s going to be a battle.”
All that stands between South Carolina and its 10th SEC Tournament title now is the winner of a semifinals matchup between No. 3 seed Texas and No. 7 seed Ole Miss.
Sunday’s championship game is 3 p.m. on ESPN.
Anybody’s game
South Carolina and LSU looked like two heavyweight fighters trading blow after blow on Saturday. The game was reminiscent of the back-and-forth matchup between the two teams on Valentine’s Day.
The Gamecocks led for a majority of the first quarter, but the two teams traded the lead and tied four times. South Carolina, fueled by a 10-point period from Ta’Niya Latson, led 21-17 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter felt like it was all LSU. The Tigers started the period on a 12-5 run and built up a four-point lead, their largest to that point in the game. South Carolina responded with a 7-0 run and regained the lead, thanks to six straight points from Tessa Johnson. LSU ended the half on a 9-2 run and took a 40-36 lead into halftime after out-scoring USC 23-15 in the quarter.
“At halftime, I thought we should’ve been down by 10 or 12 points because of the way we were playing,” Staley said. “We just held on until we got to halftime to talk about things.”
South Carolina took the momentum right back in the third quarter with a 10-2 run. The Gamecocks, led by a 12-point quarter from Raven Johnson, built up to a seven-point lead (the largest of the game to that point). South Carolina outscored LSU 23-14 in the quarter and took a 59-54 lead into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter was another round of back and forth, but the Gamecocks built enough cushion to take the win. LSU couldn’t get within closer than four points in the final moments.
Game MVP: Raven Johnson
Johnson, South Carolina’s veteran point guard, seemingly willed South Carolina to victory. Johnson has played extremely well against LSU this season, and Saturday was no different.
She finished with a career-high 22 points — including 4-of-6 from 3-point range — to go with nine assists. Her previous career-high of 19 points came against LSU in February.
“I’m thinking about winning. Whatever it takes to win,” Johnson said. “If I’ve got to defend, if I’ve got to score, whatever it takes. If I’ve got to rebound, that’s what I’ll do. I’m just thinking about winning.”
Johnson had a 12-point third quarter that helped the Gamecocks get momentum back after they trailed going into halftime.
“You want leaders like that, and she makes everybody else better,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said of Johnson.
Battle on the boards
Rebounding made a massive difference in the game Saturday.
LSU led South Carolina in the rebounding battle for the first half. The Tigers out-rebounded the Gamecocks 24-15 in the first half. Some of that was due to Madina Okot seeing reduced first half minutes due to some foul trouble.
South Carolina was able to out-rebound LSU in the second half and eventually even out the battle on the boards. Okot (13) and Edwards (11) both finished with double-digit rebounds.
Fulwiley has big game for LSU
Columbia native and former Gamecock MiLaysia Fulwiley was a non-factor when South Carolina beat LSU in Baton Rouge last month. The junior guard scored just six points and had three turnovers.
On Friday, Fulwiley told the media she was a different player ahead of the rematch with the Gamecocks. That much appeared to be true Saturday.
Fulwiley, who was named the SEC Sixth-Woman of the Year this week, was one of LSU’s most productive players in the game. She led all scorers Saturday with 15 points off the bench in the first half, started the second half for LSU and finished with 24 points.
“I kinda knew she was going to have a good game,” Staley said. “I’m genuinely happy for her. I’m super happy for her. We all know she can play. ... We’ll always consider her a Gamecock no matter what uniform she puts on.”
SEC women’s basketball tournament scores, schedule
Saturday/Semifinals
No. 1 seed South Carolina 83, No. 4 seed LSU 77
No. 3 seed Texas vs. No. 7 seed Ole Miss (7 p.m. ESPN2)
Sunday/Championship
Winner of South Carolina/LSU vs Winner of Texas/Ole Miss (3 p.m. on ESPN)
This story was originally published March 7, 2026 at 6:31 PM.
