Gamecocks 83 – LSU 77 Game Summary
- Third-ranked South Carolina ousted sixth-ranked LSU for the fourth consecutive time in the SEC Tournament with an 83-77 victory over the Tigers in the SEC Semifinals in Greenville, Saturday.
- LSU, the Tournament’s 4-seed, had no answer for USC’s Ta’Niya Latson in the early going as the senior transfer dropped 10 of her 19 points in the first quarter.
- The Tigers bounced back, however, sparked by former Gamecocks guard MiLaysia Fulwiley. Fulwiley came off the bench to score 11 of her 24 points in the second quarter and lead LSU to a 40-36 halftime advantage.
- Top-seeded USC recaptured the momentum with a 23-point third quarter. Veteran Raven Johnson was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field for 12 points in a pivotal third-quarter stretch to help the Gamecocks take a five-point lead into the fourth.
- After Fulwiley’s 3-pointer tied the score at 63-63 with 7:06 to play, the Gamecocks turned to Joyce Edwards, Madina Okot and Latson to carry them down the stretch. In the final seven minutes, Edwards was 4-for-4 for eight points, Okot was 3-for-3 for six points and Latson was 2-for-4 for six points. LSU trimmed the lead to five in the final two minutes before Okot’s layup put USC back up 79-72 to put the game out of reach.
- Edwards, recently named a second-team All-American by The Athletic, finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. R. Johnson led the Gamecocks with 22 points and a game-high eight assists.
- In addition to serving as a roadblock for LSU in the SEC Tournament in recent seasons, the Gamecocks have extended their winning streak over the Tigers to 19.
- South Carolina (31-2) is 5-1 against top-ten teams this season and moves on to face 3-seed Texas in Sunday’s final at 3 p.m.
