03/08/26 04:23:00
Printable Page
03/08 16:21 CDT No. 4 Texas beats No. 3 South Carolina 78-61 for its first
women's SEC Tournament title
No. 4 Texas beats No. 3 South Carolina 78-61 for its first women's SEC
Tournament title
By STEVE REED
AP Sports Writer
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) --- Madison Booker scored 18 points as No. 4 Texas
sprinted to a 14-0 lead and beat three-time defending champion and third-ranked
South Carolina 78-61 on Sunday to win its first Southeastern Conference
Tournament title.
Booker was named MVP of the tournament. Justice Carlton added 15 points and
Jordan Lee had 12 for the Longhorns (31-3), who joined the SEC in 2024.
Texas shot 57% from the field to avenge last year's 19-point loss to the
Gamecocks in the championship game.
Joyce Edwards had 13 points for the Gamecocks (31-3), who had their 12-game win
streak snapped.
The powerhouse programs split two tightly contested meetings earlier this
season, with the Longhorns winning 66-64 at a neutral site in November and the
Gamecocks earning a measure of revenge with a 68-65 win on their home floor in
January.
This one was never close.
Texas made its first seven shots and led 14-0 after five early South Carolina
turnovers before Tessa Johnson finally hit a 3 to get the Gamecocks on the
board.
Carlton outscored South Carolina by herself in the first quarter, finishing
with 13 points as Texas built a 27-12 lead by shooting 68% from the field. With
a large South Carolina crowd on hand, the Longhorns didn't let up, pushing the
lead to 17 at the break --- the largest halftime deficit in the SEC Tournament
for South Carolina under coach Dawn Staley.
South Carolina managed to get within 11 with 5:22 left, but Lee answered with a
3 and later pushed the lead to 16 with a driving layup with two minutes left.
Booker then sealed the Longhorns' eighth straight win with a jumper.
The Gamecocks finished 12 of 23 from the free-throw line.
Up next
Both teams are expected to be No. 1 seeds in the women's NCAA Tournament.
___
https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and
https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
|
