SEC championship game live updates: South Carolina basketball beats LSU

Chapel Fowler, Payton Titus
·4 min read
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For the ninth time in the last 10 years, it’s SEC championship Sunday for coach Dawn Staley and the South Carolina women’s basketball team.

USC (31-0), the top overall seed in the bracket, will play No. 2 LSU (28-4) for the SEC title at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville at 3 p.m. on ESPN.

The State’s Payton Titus and Chapel Fowler are on site to provide updates as the Gamecocks, who won the SEC regular season championship, go for their eighth SEC tournament title as the 2024 NCAA Tournament nears.

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Final score: South Carolina 79, LSU 72

Game. After a long fight delay, USC holds on and beats LSU, 79-72, in the SEC championship game. It’s the Gamecocks’ eighth SEC title. They’ll enter the postseason a perfect 32-0.

Fight delays game

The USC-LSU game was delayed significantly late in the fourth quarter after a skirmish at mid-court primarily involving LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson and USC center Kamilla Cardoso.

End Q3: South Carolina 59, LSU 53

Thanks to 20 points on 8-10 shooting from freshman phenom MiLaysia Fulwiley, USC will take a six-point lead into the fourth quarter. Gamecocks outscored the Tigers 23-21 in that period, which was the highest scoring of the afternoon by far. South Carolina led by as many as 13 points (57-44 at the 2:55 mark).

Halftime: South Carolina 36, LSU 32

The Gamecocks take a four-point lead into the break. This SEC championship game has lived up to the hype so far — fast, intense, physical. MiLaysia Fulwiley has a team-high 10 for USC, and Te-Hina Paopao has seven. LSU is drastically out-rebounding USC, which will be a key second half concern. Aneesah Morrow and Angel Reese have been a load so far.

End Q1: South Carolina 18, LSU 15

USC leads by three after a feisty, back-and-forth first quarter. Huge boost from MiLaysia Fulwiley (five points off the bench). South Carolina trailed most of the quarter but roared ahead late in the period on a Te-Hina Paopao layup and ended things on a 6-0 run. LSU’s Aneesah Morrow has a game-high six.

LSU injury update

LSU star forward Angel Reese was warming up with a walking boot but will play against USC, according to a report from the Daily Advertiser.

LSU guard Last-Tear Poa also won’t play Sunday after suffering a scary injury in Saturday’s semifinals. After hitting the back of her head on the court while trying to draw a charge, Poa left the court on a stretcher and went to a local hospital, where she was diagnosed with a concussion.

LSU women’s basketball said late Saturday that Poa had “movement and feeling throughout her body” and was set to be released that night.

Cardoso the hero

The Gamecocks are coming off a thrilling SEC semifinal win against Tennessee, in which center Kamilla Cardoso banked in the first 3-pointer of her career to beat the Lady Vols at the buzzer.

USC had blown a 23-point lead and trailed 73-71 with 1.1 seconds left before guard Raven Johnson inbounded the ball to Cardoso, who was unguarded and banked in the first 3-pointer of her college career.

Cardoso, a 6-foot-7 center better known for her paint prowess and shot-blocking, had never attempted a three in her three seasons at USC and had only attempted one in her career, as a freshman at Syracuse.

Staley said postgame that she gave Cardoso the green light to shoot the ball after deciding there wasn’t enough time for guard Te-Hina Paopao to take a handoff from Cardoso and get a shot off before the buzzer.

The SEC rematch everyone wanted

In USC’s quest for an eighth SEC title, they’ll have to get past LSU in a highly anticipated rematch of the only remaining undefeated team in Division I and the reigning national championship.

On Jan. 25, South Carolina beat then-No. 9 LSU on the road, 76-70, in a primetime thriller. The Gamecocks trailed by as many as 11 points but took the lead for good on guard Bree Hall’s go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:11 remaining.

The Tigers beat Ole Miss in Saturday’s second semifinal to secure their spot in the title game. LSU is one of the sport’s most recognizable teams thanks to its colorful coach, Kim Mulkey, and a “big three” of forward Angel Reese (the 2024 SEC Player of the Year), forward Aneesah Morrow and guard Hailey Van Lith.

Mulkey is 1-4 in her career against USC and 0-3 against South Carolina at LSU.

How to watch South Carolina vs. LSU