WOMENS BASKETBALL
South Carolina 78, Kentucky 66
ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBIA, S.C. - 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, meaning a coin flip Sunday will determine the No. 1 seed for this week’s SEC tournament in Greenville, South Carolina. 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. THE TAKEAWAY
Kentucky: Struggled from deep, converting just 6 of 23 from beyond the arc. South Carolina: The Gamecocks outrebounded the Wildcats 44-28. KEY MOMENT
Leading by three, Paopao knocked down a huge 3 for the Gamecocks with five minutes to play.
March 2, 2025