#3-South Carolina 60 — #16-Kentucky 56 (Game Summary)
- USC placed three players in double figures, led by Madina Okot’s 21 points and 13 rebounds. The performance marks the 20th double-double of the season for Okot
- Tessa Johnson added 12 points, while Raven Johnson added 11 points and five assists
- Despite being deeper than Kentucky, the Gamecocks did not record a point from its bench
- Kentucky also outrebounded USC 40-34
- The two teams exchanged the lead multiple times in the opening half, with Okot almost reaching her double-double by halftime (11 points & 9 rebounds). Carolina built as much as a fourteen-point advantage (33-19) late in the second quarter, but Kentucky rallied. The Wildcats cobbled together an 8-0 run to close out the half and cut the margin to 33-27 at the half
- Kentucky tied the game at 37-37 with 6:31 remaining in the third period; however, the Gamecocks responded with a 17-4 run to take a 54-41 advantage into the fourth quarter.
- Clara Strack sparked the comeback for UK, scoring eight points on 4-of-5 shooting in the quarter. She finished with a game-high 24 points and 9 rebounds
- Kentucky’s defense did its part in the final quarter, holding USC to just six points on 3-of-18 shooting from the field and 0-for-5 from three. However, their meticulous defense actually came back to bite them at the end of the game
- Trailing 58-56 with :10 to play, Teonni Key missed a game-tying layup, and the ensuing battle for the rebound went USC’s way on a held ball. That put Kentucky in a pickle because the Wildcats had been whistled for just one team foul in the quarter, meaning they were four shy of putting the Gamecocks in the bonus
- After consecutive fouls wound the game clock down to 0:04, Kentucky was unable to foul on Carolina’s inbound, and Okot broke free for a wide-open layup to seal the win
- The Gamecocks wrapped up the regular season at 29-2 overall and 15-1 in the SEC. USC will be the #1 seed in this week’s SEC tournament in Greenville and will enjoy a double-bye into the quarterfinals on Friday. Kentucky is 21-9 and 8-8 in conference play, and their seeding in the SEC tournament will be determined at the conclusion of play on Sunday