GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina coach Dawn Staley spent all season teaching her young, undefeated team. Those lessons, she stressed, must carry into the Southeastern Conference Tournament if the top-ranked Gamecocks hope to achieve their championship goals.
Kamilla Cardoso scored 17 points and Tessa Johnson had 13 as South Carolina beat ninth-seeded Texas A&M 79-68 Friday in the SEC Tournament and reached 30 wins for a third straight season.
The Gamecocks (30-0) will play fifth-seeded Tennessee in Saturday’s semifinals. It will be the third time South Carolina has faced the Lady Vols since Feb. 15.
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 some time to warm up after nearly a week off since its last game, and Staley grew visibly frustrated as the period wore on.
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.
After getting pushed around at times by the Aggies, the Gamecocks responded with Cardoso dominating down low and the team relying on 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.
“Yes, we won a lot of basketball games, but there are a lot of things we need to work on, a lot of deficiencies that we need to work on,” Staley said. “This team has responded time in and time out, and they’re going to have to respond now that’s it’s a win-or-go-home situation.”
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.
“We were just playing basketball,” said Johnson, a freshman. “It wasn’t the greatest basketball, but we were just finding our teammates.”
The Aggies got within 62-53 early in the fourth quarter. But Cardoso hit two free throws and Te-Hina Paopao, who finished with eight points, made a 3-pointer to restore the large lead.
Coulibaly said the team showed it deserved to be an NCAA Tournament team by defeating eighth-seeded Mississippi State here Thursday and not backing down against the league’s regular-season champions.
“I feel like our chemistry is really good right now,” she said. “We’ve just got to build off of that.”
BIG PICTURE
Texas A&M: The Aggies had a strong game plan to disrupt South Carolina’s flow on offense that worked during the first 20 minutes. But the Gamecocks had too much speed, strength and length.
South Carolina: Staley wasn’t happy with the early miscues. But the Gamecocks have managed to win throughout the season, despite slow starts. The job will certainly get tougher as the tournament continues.
JOHNSON’S BLOCK
Tessa Johnson had her first college block in her first postseason game at South Carolina. Johnson blocked Sole Williams’ attempt at a layup. When asked about it, Staley joked, “What block?” before going on about the freshman’s intelligence and awareness on the court that puts her in good positions to make defensive plays.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M: Awaits its postseason selection.
South Carolina: Faces Tennessee in Saturday’s semifinals.
News
Taylor Swift sings two diss tracks on nemesis Scooter Braun’s birthday… one day after he announced his retirement from music management
Taylor Swift fans are convinced she shaded her longtime nemesis, Scooter Braun, during her latest surprise acoustic song set on The Eras Tour on Tuesday night. While performing at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, the singer, 34, performed a mashup of her two…
11 Strict Rules That Elon Musk Allegedly Makes His Girlfriends & Wives Follow
The last one is just downright odd. Kathy Hutchins / Sky Cinema / Shutterstock.com Among billionaires, Elon Musk is perhaps one of the most eccentric and well-known around the world. His merry band of supporters that worship his every move and defend…
Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s Tortured Relationship
Prince Charles and Diana’s engagement, turbulent marriage, and subsequent divorce captivated the world. Diana and Prince Charles in 1981. KYPROS/GETTY IMAGES. The story of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, is not that of star-crossed lovers. Continuously recounted in film, television, tell-all books,…
Kate Middleton photo controversy: New details show when the photo was edited
Kate issued an apology after news agencies retracted a royal family photo. Princess Kate apologizes amid family photo controversy ABC’s James Longman is at Buckingham Palace with the latest on the royal family. As the photo controversy around Kate Middleton continues to grow, new…
Is Kate and William’s relationship healthy? Body language expert weighs in
Expert reveals intimate moment between Kate and Wills The Prince and Princess of Wales at the Trooping the Color event.LAPRESSE Body language expert Judi James has offered her insights into the dynamic between Kate and Wills, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge,…
Princess Diana conspiracy theories: Eight reasons people believe the crash in Paris wasn’t all it seems
More than 20 years on, conspiracy theories continue to rage – despite almost all of them being proven decisively wrong SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy On…
End of content
No more pages to load