#Gamecocks 8th SEC Championship marred by late-game altercation with LSU (AUDIO)

BON SECOURS WELLNESS ARENA: South Carolina’s eighth SEC Tournament Championship in the last ten years was marked by a fourth-quarter physical altercation between LSU and USC resulting in the ejection of a slew of players from both sides. The Gamecocks closed out their 79-72 victory over LSU in unusual circumstances, as just six eligible players remained for USC while LSU finished with no reserves at all.

With 2:08 remaining and the Gamecocks leading 73-66, Milaysia Fulwiley, the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, was fouled intentionally in the open court by LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson. Following the whistle, Johnson shoved Ashlyn Watkins, prompting a response from Kamilla Cardoso. Cardoso, bleeding from the mouth after taking a shot to her lower lip on a previous play, rushed toward the action and firmly pushed Johnson to the ground. Both benches emptied and a spectator, identified by ESPN as Johnson’s brother, came over the scorer’s table and onto the floor to join the fray.

After an 18-minute review, officials assessed technical fouls on both teams and ejected Kamilla Cardoso. All of the players that left the bench area were also ejected. Cardoso will be ineligible for the Gamecocks’ first-round game in the NCAA Tournament, but all of the players removed for leaving the bench will be available as the suspension only extends to ejections for fighting.

In a matchup of the last two national champions, the intensity had been running high throughout the game and both clubs looked physically and emotionally spent by the fourth quarter. It had been a 24-hour whirlwind for the Gamecocks, who were coming down from the high of beating Tennessee on Cardoso’s last-second 3-pointer. The Tigers, meanwhile, were shorthanded and had seen guard Last-Tear Pao carted off on a stretcher after suffering a concussion in the fourth quarter of their semifinal victory over Ole Miss.

LSU is also carrying a chip on its shoulder about their inability to slay Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks, having now lost 16 straight in the series.

Following the game, Angel Reese wanted to make it clear that, despite the loss, her team has some fight left in it for a run in the NCAA Tournament, even it means a rematch with the nation’s no. 1 team, “We’re not scared of South Carolina. Let me repeat that, we’re not scared of South Carolina. A lot of people are scared of them. We battled and battled and battled and came up short. But we’ll see them again.”

The tenor of Staley’s comments were much different as she took responsibility for her players’ loss of control, “What you saw were two highly competitive teams trying to win a conference championship and they did not handle it well. I’ll take responsibility for what happened on our side of it. We talk about these things as a team and we try to express to them how not to react in those types of situations.”

Staley also seemed ready to leave any ill will between the lines and move forward, “Flau’jae (Johnson) came to me after the game and just apologized and said she’s not that type of player. And I appreciate that. That’s something no one will ever hear if I don’t say anything, and she’s not, she’s a really good person, things just got escalated.”

LSU head coach Kim Mulkey, on the other hand, was still wrestling with her feelings after the game, “I wish she (Cardoso) would have pushed Angel Reese. Don’t push a kid. You’re 6-8. Don’t push somebody that little. That was uncalled for, in my opinion. Let those two girls that were jawing, let them go at it.”

Mulkey also laid some of the fault at the feet of the officials, who had opted to let the ongoing physicality go unchecked, “Do you realize there had been only one foul called on each team when there were two minutes to play in the fourth quarter? Are you kidding me? That might have created some of that. Not the way we play. We’re going to foul your (expletive). Not the way they play, they’re going to foul your (expletive). You only blew that whistle one time?”

Fulwiley seemed unaffected by all of the jawing and jostling, racing past defenders to free herself for open looks on the way to 24 points. LSU simply didn’t have a player that could stay in front of the lightning-quick freshman and she turned out to be the x-factor. Fulwiley scored 10 points on four shots in just four minutes of floor time in the third quarter as USC extended its lead to double digits.

Mulkey acknowledged the Gamecocks’ bench, and specifically Fulwiley, was the difference, “They’ve got a lot of depth and basically one kid hurt us today, that was Fulwiley.”

Te-Hina Paopao joined Fulwiley in double figures, scoring 12 points to go with her five assists.

Cardoso, who along with all of the other ejected players, was not eligible to take the floor for the SEC Championship celebration. She issued a postgame statement via Twitter: I would like to extend my sincerest apologies for my actions during today’s game. My behavior was not representative of who I am as a person or the South Carolina program, and I deeply regret any discomfort or inconvenience it may have caused. I take full responsibility for my actions and assure you that I am committed to conducting myself with the utmost respect and sportsmanship in the future.

South Carolina (32-0) will enter the NCAA Tournament undefeated and as the nation’s top-ranked team. The official bracket will be announced at 8 p.m. on March 17.

SEC All-Tournament Team

Rickea Jackson, Tennessee
Angel Reese, LSU
Flau’jae Johnson, LSU
Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina
MiLaysia Fulwiley, South Carolina (Most Outstanding Player)

Final Stats

Dawn Staley, Te-Hina Paopao and Milaysia Fulwiley
postgame press conference