Live updates: South Carolina WBB beats Tennessee, wins SEC tournament championship

The No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks face the Tennessee Lady Volunteers at 3 p.m. Sunday in the SEC tournament championship game at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The State’s Jeremiah Holloway and Chapel Fowler are there to bring you live updates from the game.

South Carolina wins SEC title

And that’s a final: No. 1 South Carolina 74, Tennessee 58. The Gamecocks have won their seventh SEC tournament championship in nine years and will enter the NCAA tournament a perfect 32-0.

Guard Zia Cooke had a game-high 24 points, and forwards Aliyah Boston (18 points) and Kamilla Cardoso (13 points) also scored in double digits.

South Carolina outscored Tennessee 19-16 in the final period and was strong at the free throw line (10-12) to ensure a double-digit lead wouldn’t fade.

This is USC’s seventh all-time SEC tournament championship. The previous six came in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021.

Gamecocks pull away in Q3

South Carolina leads Tennessee 55-42 after three quarters. That’s the Gamecocks’ best overall quarter by far: they scored 18 points while limiting Tennessee to 11 points on 3-17 shooting.

Guard Bree Hall subbed into the game and immediately sank a 3-pointer to put USC up 55-40 at the 2:05 mark. The Gamecocks’ previous largest lead was 12 points in the second quarter.

Guard Zia Cooke leads USC with 20 points, and forward Aliyah Boston’s at 14 points. Outside of those two, five other players are between 3 and 6 points. The Gamecocks are 10-12 on free throws and sprinkling in a little zone defense (to solid results).

USC leads close game at half

South Carolina’s up 37-31 on Tennessee at halftime. The Gamecocks used a mid-quarter run to build their largest lead of the game (12 points) and get some breathing room against a scrappy Vols team.

Guard Zia Cooke has joined forward Aliyah Boston in double digits and is up to a team-high 14 points. Her 3-pointer at the 5:46 mark put USC up 31-21 and forced a Tennessee timeout, and she also scored two breakaway layups off steals.

Trailing by 10 points, the Volunteers worked themselves back into the game behind All-SEC first team guard Jordan Horston (team-high 14 points).

Cooke and Boston have combined for 24 of USC’s 37 points at halftime, and the team’s shooting 15-26 (an excellent 57.7%). The Gamecocks’ defense has also picked up a bit: Tennessee has eight turnovers But five offensive rebounds and a team-wide 48.3% shooting clip is keeping the Volunteers arpund.

High-scoring first quarter

South Carolina leads Tennessee, 21-19, after one quarter of play here. Forward Aliyah Boston has been excellent with 10 points on 5-5 shooting, and guard Brea Beal has six points and five assists (one short of her career high).

USC shot 9-15 from the field (60%) but didn’t play much defense. Tennessee is 7-13 from the field (53.8%) and essentially matching the Gamecocks blow for blow.

Guard Jordan Horston has eight points for UT, including a buzzer-beating jump shot to end the quarter that very well could’ve been called an and-one.

Redshirt freshman guard Raven Johnson got the start at point guard in place of injured USC senior Kierra Fletcher and played nine turnover-free minutes in the first quarter.

Kierra Fletcher out with injury

Senior starting point guard Kierra Fletcher is out for South Carolina on Sunday with a lower left leg injury.

Fletcher exited Saturday’s game against Ole Miss in the first quarter with what appeared to be a foot or ankle injury and went to the locker room. She briefly re-entered in the second quarter, but sat down for the entire second half.

Raven Johnson is expected to draw the start at point guard, with Zia Cooke and Laeticia Amihere also options at the position Sunday.

SEC championship: How to watch

• Who: No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks (31-0) vs. Tennessee Lady Volunteers (23-10)

• Where: Bon Secours Wellness Arena (15,951) in Greenville, S.C.

• When: 3 p.m. Sunday

• TV: ESPN

• Stream: via ESPN app/ESPN.com

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