South Carolina, ranked 5th in the nation, has cruised through the first two games of the Southeastern Conference women’s tournament in Greenville, S.C. The top-seeded Gamecocks (29-3) dominated Vanderbilt, the 8th seed, by 21 points on Friday, and then comfortably handled Oklahoma, the 5th seed, by 18 points on Saturday. Up next is a showdown against No. 1-ranked and second-seeded Texas (31-2), who managed to hold off LSU 56-49 in the semifinals to secure their spot in Sunday’s championship game.
Freshman guard Joyce Edwards expressed her determination to win, stating, “One of the reasons I came to South Carolina is to win. We’re a winning program. That’s what we do. We’re just living up to expectations.” The defending national champion Gamecocks are set to make their record sixth consecutive appearance in the SEC tournament title game, aiming for their third consecutive tournament title and fifth in six seasons.
Guard MiLaysia Fulwiley emphasized the team’s commitment to meeting expectations: “Teams don’t come out here and do what we do and how often we do it, so I feel like as a team we’re living up to our expectations.” South Carolina has displayed balanced scoring in both tournament games, with multiple players reaching double figures in scoring.
Coach Dawn Staley praised the team’s performance, noting, “I think we’re playing our best basketball, individually and collectively.” The Longhorns, on the other hand, are on a 15-game winning streak and had a strong showing against LSU with Madison Booker leading the charge. Texas coach Vic Schaefer highlighted the importance of toughness and resilience in championship games, urging his team to bring their A-game for the title clash on Sunday.
