Great Eight! No. 1 South Carolina upends LSU for Gamecocks’ 8th SEC Tournament title

No. 1 South Carolina defeated No. 2 seed LSU 79-72 in the championship game of the SEC Tournament Sunday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville. The Gamecocks extended their undefeated record to 32-0 and secured their eighth league tournament title under coach Dawn Staley.

USC started its usual first five: guards Te-Hina Paopao, Raven Johnson and Bree Hall along with forward Chloe Kitts and center Kamilla Cardoso. Two Gamecocks achieved double-digit scoring: MiLaysia Fulwiley (with a career-high 24 points) and Paopao (12).

The Tigers competed without junior guard Last-Tear Poa after she was diagnosed with a concussion after LSU’s semifinal game versus Ole Miss Saturday night. She was released from a local hospital Sunday morning. Starter Angel Reese showed up to the arena in a walking boot after re-aggravating her ankle Saturday, having rolled it Friday in the quarterfinals against Auburn. Freshman Mikaylah Williams made her tournament debut, checking in around three minutes into the game after sitting out LSU’s first two games to rest her foot.

The end of the game was delayed by an altercation between the two teams. Flau’jae Johnson threw an elbow up at Fulwiley after she stole the ball. Ashlyn Watkins came up to Johnson, who shoved Watkins. Cardoso went over to Johnson and pushed her to the ground. At one point, a fan jumped over teh scorers table to intervene. Per the ESPN broadcast, that fan was Johnson’s brother. Police escorted him out of the arena in handcuffs.

The officiating crew reviewed the scuffle for over 15 minutes before announcing a decision. An intention foul was called on Johnson. A disqualifying foul was called on Cardoso, so she will not play in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Both benches were ejected, sans Paopao and Sania Feagin. Feagin replaced Cardoso in the lineup. Paopao replaced Fulwiley with 1:15 remaining.

Here’s what we learned over the course of the game:

Gamecocks struggle to rebound

Rebounding has been a hallmark of South Carolina basketball this season, but LSU controlled the boards for much of Sunday’s contest.

The Tigers snagged 22 rebounds in the first half to the Gamecocks’ 12. LSU had nine offensive boards, which made way for five second-chance points. USC had two offensive boards for three second-chance points.

South Carolina entered the game with the fourth-best rebounding margin in the nation, grabbing 12.7 more per game than their opponents. USC ended the game with 37 boards to LSU’s 44.

MiLaysia Fulwiley changes the game

Fulwiley made an immediate impact when she checked into the game with just over four minutes remaining in the first quarter.

She sank a 3 on her first offensive possession of the game -- the team’s second and the difference between USC and LSU’s point totals at the end of the period.

Fulwiley was the first Gamecock to reach double-digit points Sunday (after having done the same Saturday against Tennessee), scoring 10 points in the first half. She ended two multiple-minutes-long scoring droughts with shifty layups and back-to-back 3s.

She ended the game with a career-high 24 points (cemented by the two technical free throws in the fourth quarter) on impressive efficiency (8-of-12).

With post players in foul trouble, guards step up big

Cardoso, and forwards Ashlyn Watkins and Feagin each picked up their third personal fouls in the third quarter.

South Carolina’s 6-foot-7 center averaged 14.2 points and 25 minutes per game heading into Sunday’s contest. She had four points in 15 minutes of playing time after three quarters of battling hard with Reese in the paint. Watkins played nine minutes in that same stretch (after averaging 20 minutes per game before tip), with her only point coming at the free throw line (she averaged 9.9 points heading into Sunday).

Both players returned to start the fourth quarter, when South carolina led by six. Before the final period, though, USC’s guards made huge plays. Fulwiley scored 20 points, while Paopao had 10 (six coming from beyond the arc) and Raven Johnson scored 7 to go with four assists and a steal. Hall hit two shots late in the fourth to stretch USC’s lead.

Next: Selection Sunday, then NCAA tournament

Selection Sunday for the women’s NCAA Tournament is 8 p.m. Sunday, March 17 on ESPN.

The Gamecocks are projected to be the No. 1 overall seed, with Colonial Life Arena serving as a host site for first- and second-round games March 22-25.