No. 6 South Carolina tops No. 15 Kentucky 78-66 to claim share of SEC regular-season title

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Tessa Johnson scored 16 points, and No. 6 South Carolina claimed a share of the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship with a 78-66 victory over No. 15 Kentucky on Sunday.

No. 1 Texas defeated Florida 72-46 on Sunday, so the Longhorns and Gamecocks both finished 15-1 in conference play. They split the season series, but South Carolina won a coin flip and will be the No. 1 seed for this week’s SEC tournament in Greenville.

Te-Hina Paopao added 13 points and Chloe Kitts had 12 points and 10 rebounds for South Carolina (27-3), which has won at least a share of the regular-season title for the past four seasons.

Clara Strack scored 23 points and Georgia Amoore had 16 points for Kentucky (22-6, 11-5), which failed to build on the momentum of its 82-58 home win over No. 11 Tennessee on Thursday night.

South Carolina led 41-33 at halftime, but Kentucky closed to 63-62 with seven minutes left on a driving layup by Amoore. The Wildcats had a chance to take the lead on their next possession, but Milaysia Fulwiley blocked Teonni Key’s shot under the basket and drove the length of the floor for a layup, igniting an 12-2 run.

The Gamecocks outscored the Wildcats 13-2 in the final six minutes.

Notables

• With the 78-66 win over Kentucky, South Carolina secured its ninth SEC regular-season title and its fourth in a row.
• South Carolina will head into the SEC Tournament the No. 1 seed after winning the tie-breaker coin toss with Texas.
• South Carolina recognized its seniors prior to the game – Sania Feagin, Bree Hall and Raven Johnson. The trio played in three NCAA Final Fours, secured two National Championships, two SEC Tournament titles and four SEC regular-season titles. They already have the most wins of any class in history.
• The bench had another strong game, scoring 32 points compared to Kentucky’s 3. The Gamecocks sit at the top in the NCAA in bench points, averaging 41.7 this season.
• Sophomore Tessa Johnson led the offense with 16 points, seven of which came in the fourth quarter.
• Te-Hina Paopao finished with 13 points, going 6-for-9 from the floor and dishing out a team-high six assists along the way. She also tied her career high with four steals.
• Chloe Kitts secured her eighth double-double of the season and her second in as many games.
• Sophomore MiLaysia Fulwiley swiped four steals in the pivotal fourth quarter after the Wildcats had closed within a point.