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Kamilla Cardoso leads No. 1 South Carolina past Tennessee 66-55
Women's Basketball  . 

Kamilla Cardoso leads No. 1 South Carolina past Tennessee 66-55

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Kamilla Cardoso had 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead No. 1 South Carolina past upset-minded Tennessee 66-55 on Thursday night.

Cardoso had missed two previous games while playing for Brazil in an Olympic qualifying tournament. Ashlyn Watkins added 14 points and 10 rebounds for South Carolina (24-0, 11-0 Southeastern Conference). Raven Johnson had 15 rebounds.

Rickea Jackson scored 19 points to pace Tennessee (15-9, 8-4). Sara Puckett added 15 points and Jasmine Powell 12.

Tennessee led by three points at halftime and the game was tied at 48 after three quarters. South Carolina started the fourth quarter with a 9-1 run to get a bit of breathing room. Bree Hall had five points in that outburst.

Notables

  • With the victory over Tennessee, South Carolina tallied its 42nd consecutive regular-season SEC win, tying the league record.
  • After finding themselves tied after the third quarter, the Gamecocks opened up the fourth period on a 12-3 run to go up by double figures where they remained to secure the 66-55 win.
  • South Carolina’s defense locked down in the fourth quarter, allowing Tennessee to shoot just 22.2 percent from the field and take just nine shots thanks to five steals contributing to seven turnovers in the period, which the Gamecocks turned into seven points.
  • The Gamecocks’ depth was on full display, with all nine players scoring to top the Lady Volunteers’ bench 29-7.
  • Kamilla Cardoso returned for the Gamecocks in full force, putting up seven points in the final quarter to finish with a team-high 18 points in addition to 10 boards for her 11th double-double of the season.
  • Ashlyn Watkins secured her sixth double-double of the year, scoring eight of her 14 points in the first half followed by half of her 10 boards in the third quarter alone.
  • Raven Johnson was a rebounding machine, finishing in double figures for the second-straight game and setting a new career-high of 15 boards, all while dishing out five assists to lead the team for the 14th time this season.