WBB: No. 3 Gamecocks Defeat No. 6 LSU to Head to SEC Championship

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Raven Johnson had a career-high 22 points, Joyce Edwards scored 15 of her 18 points in the second half and No. 3 South Carolina displayed its mettle by holding on to beat sixth-ranked LSU 83-77 on Saturday to advance to the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game.

Ta’Niya Latson added 19 points for the Gamecocks, who are seeking their fourth straight SEC Tournament title and 10th in the past 12 seasons under coach Dawn Staley. South Carolina (31-2) will face the winner of No. 4 Texas and No. 24 Mississippi on Sunday.

South Carolina transfer MiLaysia Fulwiley had 24 points on 10-of-21 shooting and Jada Richard added 17 for LSU (27-5), which lost to the Gamecocks for the second time this season.

In what essentially amounted to another home game for the Gamecocks at the packed 15,000-seat Bon Secours Wellness Arena, it was LSU that looked at home early.

Fulwiley, who had just six points on 1-of-8 shooting against South Carolina in the first meeting, erupted for 15 in the first half to give LSU a 40-36 lead at the break.

But the poised Gamecocks opened the third quarter on a 10-2 run to regain the lead. It looked for a moment like things might get away, but LSU came storming back as Fulwiley drilled a pull-up 3 to tie the game with 7 minutes remaining.

Edwards took over from there.

She hit a jumper in the lane with 6:41 left to give the Gamecocks the lead for good and scored six of South Carolina’s points during a pivotal 8-3 run.

With the Gamecocks leading by five with 45 seconds left, LSU inexplicably elected not to foul and allowed 30 seconds to run off before Madina Okot scored on a spinning layup with 15 seconds left to beat the shot clock and seal the win.

Notables

• With the victory over LSU, South Carolina grabbed its 19th consecutive win over the Tigers.
• Seven Gamecocks who hit the floor scored, with four finishing in double-figures.
• Raven Johnson led the offense with a new career-high 22 points with four made threes, all while dishing out a team-high eight assists on the night.
• Ta’Niya Latson finished with 19 points, scoring 10 of them in the opening quarter on 3-for-3 shooting and a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line.
• Joyce Edwards had a strong fourth quarter, scoring 10 of her 18 points alongside 11 boards for her seventh double-double of the season.
• Tessa notched her 24th game this season with 10+, making eight of her 11 points in the second quarter in just as many minutes on the floor.
• Madina Okot got hot when it mattered most, scoring six of her eight points in the fourth quarter with her final bucket of the game giving the Gamecocks a four-point cushion with under 15 seconds to play.