Gamecocks Set for SEC Tournament Title Game Sunday

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 1/1 South Carolina women’s basketball will vie for its seventh SEC Tournament title on Sunday, facing off against Tennessee for the crown at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in a 3 p.m. ET tipoff on ESPN.

The Tennessee Series
While the Lady Vols lead the overall series 49-11, that margin is just 12-10 since the beginning of the Dawn Staley era (2008-09). The Gamecocks have won six of the last seven meetings and nine of the last 13.

The Gamecocks and Lady Vols are tied 3-3 all-time in SEC Tournament meetings with the Gamecocks winning the last three. The most recent was a 67-52 South Carolina victory in the 2021 semifinals en route to their most recent tournament title. South Carolina’s first SEC Tournament title came at the expense of Tennessee with the top-seeded Gamecocks posting a 62-46 win over the second-seeded Lady Vols in the 2015 tournament in North Little Rock, Ark.

In this season’s earlier meeting, played just 10 days ago in Knoxville, South Carolina overcame a slow start with a pair of strong defensive quarters in th middle of the game to take a 73-60 victory and clinch their seventh SEC Regular-Season Championship.

By the Numbers
13 – The Gamecocks have shot at least 50.0 percent from the field 13 times this season, including the first two games of the SEC Tournament.

57.0 – In this year’s SEC Tournament, South Carolina has averaged 57.0 points in the paint and allowed just 19.0 such points per game.

74.3 – In this year’s SEC Tournament, the Gamecocks have assisted on 74.3 percent of their made field goals (52 assists, 70 FGM).

Gamecock Notables

• Today marks the Gamecocks’ eighth time in the SEC Tournament Championship Game with six titles in their previous seven trips. The vaunted signing class of 2019 has played in the title game every year.

• South Carolina and Tennessee are tied 3-3 in their six all-time meetings in the SEC Tournament. Today is their second meeting in the title game.

• South Carolina has gotten off to quick starts this week, outscoring its opponents 24.5-15.5 per first quarter. The Gamecocks enjoyed a +6.0 edge in the second quarter over the last two games.

• The Gamecock bench has scored 40.0 points per SEC Tournament game so far, accounting for 46.2 percent of the offense.

• Senior Laeticia Amihere is thriving in every part of the game in Greenville this week. She leads the team with 16.5 points per game on 56.5 percent shooting to go with 5.5 rebounds per game. Against Ole Miss, she matched her career high with seven assists and swatted away three blocks.

• Kamilla Cardoso and Aliyah Boston are both averaging double-doubles at the tournament. Cardoso is the team’s second-leading scorer this week with 13.0 points per game to go with her 10.0 rebounds per game. Boston comes in at 10.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per tournament game.

• Boston broke her second 40-year old school record of the season when she eclipsed Sheila Foster’s total rebounds record on Saturday. Boston’s 1,432 career boards are the fifth-best mark in SEC history. With a pair of blocks yesterday, she also moved into a tie with Sylvia Fowles for seventh in SEC history with 321 career blocks.