Cardoso leads No. 1 South Carolina to 79-68 victory over Texas A&M in SEC Tournament
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Kamilla Cardoso scored 17 points and Tessa Johnson 13 as No. 1 South Carolina overcame a slow start to the postseason to beat ninth-seeded Texas A&M 79-68 Friday at the SEC Tournament and reach 30 wins for a third straight season.
The Gamecocks (30-0) will play either fourth-seed Alabama or fifth-seed Tennessee in Saturday’s semifinals.
Aicha Coulibaly had a career-high 32 points, 26 in the second half, to lead Texas A&M (19-12), which lost its fifth straight to South Carolina.
It was no walkover for usually sharp South Carolina. The team had 10 turnovers in the first quarter and finished with a season-worst 24. The offense took a bit to warm up after nearly a week off since its last game, and coach Dawn Staley grew visibly frustrated as the period wore on.
But soon, Cardoso was dominating the Aggies down low. The Gamecocks relied on their defense to open up a 14-point lead in the third quarter.
South Carolina leads the SEC in defense and held the Aggies to 30% on 3-pointers (6 of 20) and forced 14 turnovers.
The Aggies briefly pulled ahead 17-16 on Lauren Ware’s jumper. But behind Johnson’s seven points, South Carolina went on a 17-5 run for a 33-22 lead at the break.
Effortless … @Ashlyn2W pic.twitter.com/glNln5bn5E
— South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) March 8, 2024
FULWILEY THE FINISHER 💪
📺 | https://t.co/Mks0hXF8sE pic.twitter.com/xvHebQcVwU
— South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) March 8, 2024