The South Carolina women’s basketball team won its ninth SEC tournament championship after beating Texas 64-45 on Sunday afternoon at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
Sunday's championship was the third matchup between the two schools this season, with each team winning on its home floor in the regular season.
"I think we needed to play a lot better than
the last time that we played them and I do think we used our experience being here to our advantage,” head coach Dawn Staley said. "It's just different playing on this Sunday. And if you haven't really experienced it, you need to experience it."
In the first quarter, both teams relied on its defenses to set the tone for the game. By the end of the quarter, Texas had as many made field goals as turnovers, with the Longhorns turning it over five times.
The Gamecocks also did a great job defending sophomore forward Madison Booker, holding her to 0-4 from the floor, with junior forward Bree Hall being the primary defender against Booker.
"I think she did great,” senior forward Sania Feagin said when asked about Hall's defense. "When she has an assignment, she sits there, she studies it and she takes her time to learn what she needs to do."
South Carolina opened the second quarter on a 17-0 run capitalizing on its defense that forced several shot clock violations from the Longhorns that turned into easy baskets on the other end of the floor.
Sophomore guards Tessa Johnson and MiLaysia Fulwiley sent the crowd into a frenzy, with Johnson hitting a three and Fulwiley making an and-1 layup. The duo would help put the Gamecocks up 33-16 at the half.
Johnson would continue her impressive performance in the third quarter scoring 5 more points to help extend the lead. She would finish the game with 14 points.
She would not be the only Gamecock to shine in the quarter as Feagin scored 7 points including a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the third with a 52-33 lead.
The Gamecocks would keep the Longhorns fourth quarter comeback at bay, with junior forward Chloe Kitts having her most productive quarter of the game with 6 points. In total, Kitts finished the game with 15 points, nine rebounds and a block.
Once again the Gamecock defense showed up, holding Texas without a field goal for the final 2:44, winning the game 64-45 and its ninth SEC championship.
Interior scoring plays key role
One area that has been a key factor in the Gamecocks wins and losses this season had been scoring in the paint. In South Carolina’s three losses this season, they were outscored or tied the opposing team in paint points.
Today the Gamecocks outscored the Longhorns 40-18 in the paint, the first time South Carolina had scored more points in the paint than Texas in the previous two matchups.
Entering the game today, South Carolina was scoring 27 more points in the paint than its opponents, and was averaging 42.7 points on the season.
Award winners for South Carolina
To go along with the SEC Championship, several members of the team took home individual awards. Kitts, Feagin and Fulwiley were all named to the All-SEC Tournament Team, and Kitts won the tournament MVP as well.
During the tournament, Kitts averaged 16.6 points per game, 7.6 rebounds and three assists. This is the 13th time in program history that a Gamecock has taken home tournamentMVP, with the most recent winner being Fulwiley who won the award last season as a freshman.
"I think Chloe's a dog, inside, outside, whatever you give her... she's gonna get that bucket,” Feagin said. "So total props to her."
Home away from home
Over the last three seasons, the Gamecocks are 11-0 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, the venue serving as the home to the SEC tournament each of the last three years and an NCAA regional site in 2023.
In those three seasons, South Carolina has won three straight SEC tournament championships and punched a ticket to the 2023 Final Four after defeating Maryland, its third straight at the time.
One reason for the success of the team in Greenville has been the FAMS bus, a way for fans from the Columbia area to get to the game, allowing for the seats to be packed in garnet and black and make the environment feel similar to a home game at Colonial Life Arena.
"It's amazing, it almost feels the same," Kitts said. "All those FAMS came out and supported us. We appreciate it so much."
Whats's next?
The Gamecocks await Selection Sunday on March 16 to find out its seed and who it will play in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The show will go live at 8 p.m. and be broadcast on ESPN.