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No. 1 South Carolina beats Georgia 70-56 for SEC record
Women's Basketball  . 

No. 1 South Carolina beats Georgia 70-56 for SEC record

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Kamilla Cardoso had 16 points and 16 rebounds as No. 1 South Carolina rallied past Georgia 70-56 on Sunday to win its record 43rd straight Southeastern Conference regular-season game.

Not that it came easily. The Gamecocks (25-0, 12-0 SEC) trailed 37-28 when Javyn Nicholson hit the first basket of the third quarter as the sold-out crowd watched in disbelief.

But behind Cardoso, Te-Hina Paopao, Chloe Kitts and MiLaysia Fulwiley, South Carolina cranked it up to remain the country’s only undefeated Division I team.

Cardoso scored three straight points and Kitts had six of her team’s next eight points to draw within 40-39. Fulwiley, the dynamic freshman, took over after that. Her basket put South Carolina in front for good and she followed with two foul shots and a spinning drive through lane that resulted in an easy basket for Ashlyn Watkins.

Georgia kept things within single digits until the final period when back-to-back 3s by Oregon transfer Paopao widened things to 60-48.

 

The Bulldogs (11-14, 2-10) could not respond and lost their 18th straight to the Gamecocks.

Nicholson had a career-high 27 points, surpassing her previous best of 24 set earlier this season against Ball State. She added 12 rebounds for her 14th double-double this year.

Paopao had 15 points off five 3-pointers and Kitts finished with 12 points, 10 in the final two quarters.

It was Nicholson and the Bulldogs who pushed the pace early on with a 17-2 surge between the first and second quarters to build a 23-17 lead.

They remained ahead, 37-28 after Nicholson had a pair of three-point plays and her opening shot of the third quarter before things fell apart.

 

Notables

  • After trailing by seven at the half, South Carolina got to work out-scoring the Lady Bulldogs 22-9 in the third with the defense holding Georgia to just 25.0% shooting from the field (3-for-12).
  • Kamilla Cardoso led the team in scoring for the ninth time this season with 16 points, putting up seven in the fourth quarter with her final point securing the double-digit lead. Her career-high 16 boards also made way for her 12th double-double of the season.
  • Te-Hina Paopao was a beast from behind the arc, with all 15 of her points coming from five 3s to tie the season high for made threes by a Gamecock this season.
  • Chloe Kitts turned up the energy in the third quarter, knocking down eight of her 12 points as part of a 13-3 run that brought the Gamecocks back on top after the halftime deficit.
  • Bree Hall tallied all nine of her points from behind the arc, knocking down her third three of the game in the final possession to cap a 16-8 run by the Gamecocks in the fourth quarter.
  • MiLaysia Fulwiley gave the Gamecocks a 41-40 lead with her first bucket of the night in the third quarter, giving South Carolina control for the remainder of the game.

ESPN GameDay / Fans

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